Can Sri Lanka Gain Extra Momentum With World Cup Qualifier Fixtures

Sri Lanka has played some good cricket in the last ten months or so. They won an Asia Cup, beat Australia at home, and their players have done a fine job in franchise cricket around the World. Dasun Shanaka as a skipper has built his team very well but could not get the results on time with Sri Lanka gearing up for the World Cup qualifiers.

Champions once, runners-up in consecutive occasions, Sri Lanka has been a big part of the World Cup since its inception. They have a pretty good record and often push themselves harder in World Cups. In the 2019 World Cup for instance, Sri Lanka came in looking like minnows posing no threats to the bigger opponents. In 2018 they were whitewashed by England at home, but in 2019, with their World Cup still alive, Sri Lanka managed to upset the Hosts, the favorites and the eventual champions in what was an absolute dog fight.

With such a rich history behind them, Sri Lanka are now left fighting for a World Cup squad as they risk failing to qualify for the first time. Seeing their style of play in recent months though, Sri Lanka may be happy with their participation as it allows them to fine-tune their line-up despite running the risk of not qualifying if something goes wrong over the course of the tournament.

Since the end of the 2019 World Cup though, the overall numbers have not been great. With 18 wins in 42 games, Sri Lanka’s ever-so-long transition has continued to move through. The scores during the period were not great and batting collapses have been a common feature. The struggle through the ODI Super League is what has left them in a tough situation with Sri Lanka unable to beat big sides both at home and away, until they got past Australia in one of their best performances in recent times.

As a result of all those tough results, Sri Lanka now find themselves in Zimbabwe fighting for a spot in the World Cup. Injuries have haunted them. Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando had long injury layoffs. Fast bowlers Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera too have been in and out with injuries and consistent niggles.

What are their chances though. The first round looks fine with minimal threats as Ireland could prove their most threatening opponent. They already moved past UAE. Coming to the next round, games against West Indies and Zimbabwe could prove interesting as the pair could provide challenges for them when it comes to qualifying to the next round.

However, going by the past few months, Sri Lanka should find themselves in a comfortable spot. They have gotten past some big opponents in recent games and that should give them some confidence as they look to secure a World Cup spot.