1996 Wills World Cup Champions, Sri Lanka have never lifted a World cup since then and 20 million people in Sri Lanka are hoping that their Cricketing heroes could replicate Arjuna Ranathunga and his men during the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.
Over the past seven years, Sri Lanka has reached four World cup finals but has failed at the most important game where they ended up as the losing side to break many hearts of the cheerful Sri Lankans.
The 16-team ICC World Twenty20 will kick start on the 16th of March at Dhaka with the hosts Bangladesh taking on their newest arch rivals and the most impressive rising country in world cricket, Afghanistan in the tournament opener.
History of the Tournament
ICC World Twenty20 – The Mecca tournament of the shortest format of the game started in 2007 with India beating Pakistan in the finals in South Africa. Two year later, Pakistan came out on top with the trophy beating Sri Lanka in England. In 2010, England won its first ICC global title when they beat Australia in the West Indies and Sri Lanka hosted the last ICC Twenty20 World cup in 2012 where they were beaten by West Indies in the final at Colombo.
2014 Tournament Format
ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 will be staged from 16 March to 6 April, with a total of 35 tournament matches played across Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet in the 22-day tournament. Comparing to the previous edition, the ICC have increased the playing nations to 16 from 12 giving the associate nations the much needed opportunity to play with the best.
The top eight sides following the conclusion of the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012, will play directly in the Super 10 stage while Bangladesh and Zimbabwe (Two test nations), which finished outside the top eight, will participate in the first round that will be held from 16th to 21st of March.
The first round will include eight teams and twelve matches, with the teams divided into two groups of four teams each, with the table-toppers progressing to the Super 10 stage.
The Super 10 stage will start with foes and neighbors former champions India and Pakistan going up against each other playing their group 2 match up in Dhaka on 21st of March. Twenty matches in total will be played in this stage.
The two groups of the Super 10 stage are:
Group 1 – Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Group B Qualifier 1 (Q1B)
Group 2 – West Indies, India, Pakistan, Australia, Group A Qualifier 1 (Q1A)
Winners of group 1 will take on runners-up of group 2 in the first semi-final while winners of group 2 will play their semi-final against the runners-up of group 2 and the final will be played on 6th April at Mirpur.
Sri Lanka ready to break the final’s Hoodoo
Sri Lanka are on the top of table in ICC’s Twenty20 rankings. They also have the best playing record in 2014 – winning all their limited-overs contests after 75 days into this fabulous year filled with cricket. Winning the Asia Cup has given the dark horses of World Cricket an added advantage as has the experience of excelling in Bangladesh which is the venue of this year’s Twenty20 World Cup. This would clear doubts when saying the in-form Islanders are the favorites to win their first World Twenty20 title and lift the coveted Silverware on April 6th.
Since the last ICC World Twenty 20 which concluded in October 2012, Sri Lanka has been the most outstanding side going around the world, winning 72.7% of their games. Sri Lanka after hosting the tournament in 2012, have played 12 T20I games and have won 10 games. Sri Lanka has won 16 of its 25 matches at the ICC World Twenty20 during the last four editions which is the joint highest alongside Pakistan.
Experience Trio to make it count
The Lankans can claim as the most experienced side primarily due to a host of veterans including the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan in their ranks going into the Twenty20 showpiece in Bangladesh. The three stalwarts are in the twilight of their careers who have won almost everything except a test match in Australia and a World Cup to their account will look to finishing things off in style.
These three players have each scored more than 1000 runs in Twenty20 internationals and they will look upon to use all their masterstrokes and experience to bring the elusive ICC world Twenty20 title to the Pearl of Indian Ocean.
Kumar Sangakkara has been in prolific form lately with few match winning centuries in the Asia Cup and Kumar Sangakkara’s great ability to shift batting gears will make him a dangerous player to the opponents. TM Dilshan was not a part of Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup glory due to an injury but he has regained full fitness and he will be itching to give his team those blistering starts which the Sri Lankan fans are used to seeing in the recent past. Mahela Jayawardene will be brimming with confidence after his half century in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan and the batting maestro will be the anchor man for Sri Lanka’s top heavy batting line up.
Young Platoon led by Dinesh Chandimal
Right handed middle order batsman Dinesh Chandimal will lead a balanced Sri Lanka T20 squad blended perfectly with experience and young flair. Dinesh Chandimal has had an awful run up to his first major tournament as Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 captain as he failed to keep his place in the Sri Lanka ODI team at Asia Cup finals recently. Dinesh Chandimal would have lot of pressure upon his shoulders to lead his team to victory and to score runs in the meantime to shut down his critics.
Kusal Janith Perera will be the key to Sri Lanka’s success in the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh as his power hitting at the top of the order would lay the quintessential foundation for the Sri Lankan middle order to score freely. Kusal Janith Perera known to be Sanath Jayasuriya’s carbon copy and successor will look to recreate Sanath’s world cup winning performances in 1996.
Sri Lanka’s ODI and Test captain Angelo Mathews will have one worry less going into the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh as he will be free from captaincy duties but he has been in great form recently being a consistent performer for Sri Lanka.
Malinga and Mendis to spearhead the bowling attack
Sri Lanka is enriched with two of the most successful T20 bowlers in the world, the unorthodox Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis. Malinga will look to play a major role with ball after his stunning bowling performances at the recently Asia Cup. Malinga known to be one of the fierce death bowlers in the world cricket presently will give Sri Lanka’s bowling attack the boost with his toe crushing yorkers and slow-low bouncers. The recently intensified fitness and discipline is expected to make him lethal and he will give his maximum in all the 24 balls he will bowl in a match.
Ajantha Mendis is currently the 3rd ranked bowler in T20 internationals and he is the only bowler to take 2 six wicket hauls in T20 internationals. Ajantha Mendis will use all the tricks from his armory to stem the run flow in the middle overs and his wicket taking ability will make him the main destroyer for many strong batting line-ups in the tournament.
Sri Lanka Squad:
Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Lasith Malinga (Vice Captain), Angelo Mathews, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, TM Dilshan, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Thisara Perera, Kusal Janith Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Lahiru Thirimanne, Ajantha Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Seekuge Prasanna.
Super 10 Fixtures for Sri Lanka
South Africa – 22nd March at Chittagong
Qualifier – 24th March at Chittagong
England – 27th March at Chittagong
New Zealand – 31st March at Chittagong
It’s who stands behind you that matters – ThePapare.com together with its fan base wishes the Sri Lanka Twenty20 team all the very best for the ICC World T20.
