Cricket World Cup 2023: Five key Sri Lankan players to watch out for

The Sri Lankan team has made it to the main tournament by winning the Qualifiers. Sri Lanka would like to attract everyone's attention with its strong performance. Apart from captain Dasun Shanaka, there are four more Sri Lankan players the team management will bank on. Sri Lanka starts their campaign against South Africa on 7 October.

Hyderabad: The Sri Lankan team participating in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is one of those teams in Asia, which can take full advantage of the Indian pitches. Sri Lankan spin bowlers can prove to be effective on Indian tracks. Sri Lankan players have performed well on Indian tracks in the Indian Premier League. In such a situation, they will have a chance to give tough competition to big teams. So let us know about the five key players.

Maheesh Theekshana

Sri Lankan off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana is one of the vital players. Teekshana has the ability to make any world-class batter dance to his tunes. Big batters have faltered against his deadly carrom ball. He not only has the ability to deceive the batters with the old ball but also has the art of destroying the batters with the new ball. Teekshana has vast experience in bowling on Indian pitches. He has performed brilliantly in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings under the captaincy of former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Maheesh Theekshana has taken 44 wickets in 27 ODI matches so far. His economy rate has been 4.50. Along with taking wickets, Teekshana also controls the runs.

Matheesha Pathirana

Sri Lanka's young pacer Matheesha Pathirana can prove to be an important bowler for the team. Pathirana bowls sharp like Lasith Malinga. Big batters kneel before his yorkers. Pathirana has a lot of experience in bowling on Indian pitches. While playing in IPL for Chennai Super Kings, he has troubled all the world-class batters with his fiery balls. Pathirana has taken 15 wickets in 10 ODIs while giving runs at an economy of 6.6.

Kusal Mendis

Sri Lankan team's wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Mendis had scored the most runs for his team in the Asia Cup. Mendis is known for his long innings. The opposing bowlers appear ineffective in front of him. He has been batting brilliantly for the team for a long time. So far, he has scored 3,215 runs in 112 ODI matches with an average of 32.15 and a strike rate of 84.44. Apart from this, Mendis also can keep wickets.

Dhananjaya de Silva

Sri Lanka's best all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva could be seen creating havoc with both ball and bat. Dhananjaya de Silva can trouble the batters with his turning balls. While batting, Dhananjaya de Silva keeps hitting brilliant fours and sixes. In the 82 ODIs played so far, Dhananjay has scored 1,725 runs with the help of 10 centuries at an average of 26.53 and a strike rate of 57.24. So, he has taken 44 wickets with an economy of 4.95.

Dasun Shanaka

The name of captain Dasun Shanaka is also included among the most prominent players of Sri Lanka. Shanaka not only leads the team but can also contribute with the bat. Shanaka can play the finisher's role to perfection. He can be effective with the ball. Shanaka has scored 1,024 runs in 67 matches with two hundreds and three half-centuries at an average of 22.29 and a strike rate of 92.04. Shanaka has also taken 27 wickets with an economy of 5.72.