Betfair Official Blog

World Cup preview - Sri Lanka

As any supporter or regular punter on Sri Lanka will know, they can be one of the most frustrating cricket teams in the world, but the setting of a World Cup could just be what they need to turn one of their more positive streaks of form into a trophy.

At their best, as England can attest, Sri Lanka can be a destructive team with the bat and ball, but their main problem is consistency, or of course their lack of it, as they head into their bid to regain the trophy they won on 'home soil' in India and Pakistan back in 1996.

Of course they are going to find life a lot harder in the Caribbean than they usually do in games on the sub-continent, but their run of away form in 2006 finally showed just how good they can be away from home as they enabled Mahela Jayawardene to be named 'captain of the year' at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony.

The NatWest series whitewash of England - 5-0 was one of the heaviest one-day international defeats England have ever suffered on home soil - was one of the most impressive all-round efforts the world of cricket has seen, and even though England seriously under-performed, Sri Lanka were as good as the set of results suggests.

They seem to be more tactically aware than most sides - certainly better than others from the sub-continent - and use their power play overs to the full effect even if, as against England, they are without some of their key players - it is worth remembering that former captain Marvan Atapattu and Muttiah Muralitharan (the world's best spinner now that Shane Warne has retired) missed the whole series.

Sri Lanka followed that up by making the highest one-day international total in history, albeit against the Netherlands, before showing their soft side with an early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy and by losing a series with India.

The one thing Sri Lanka have is a settled squad, which is full of familiar names and headed by possibly one of the best one-day international cricketers of all time, Sanath Jayasuriya, whose record of 11,538 runs at 32 per innings, and with a record 23 ODI centuries, is as good as they come.

Jayasuriya has also weighed in with getting on for 300 ODI wickets and although he had some problems before the series against England that almost forced him to walk out on the team, he bounced back with three centuries and has added one more against New Zealand since as he looks for a fitting farewell to international cricket.

But the vagaries of the international cricket schedule mean that he has only played five of his team-record 379 ODI matches in the West Indies, and has yet to pass 46 - this could well have an effect on him and his team-mates next month,

Sri Lanka have been experimenting with their top order in recent months, although Jayasuriya has consistently batted at number two in the order, alongside either Upul Tharanga or Atapattu, now established back in the side but not in the greatest of form.

Indeed scoring runs at the top of the order has been a problem since the Champions Trophy opener with only a couple of decent stands, but if Tharanga gets the nod to open, he will be a danger to all in top scorer markets if at the top of his game.

The impressive 22-year-old has already reached 100 six times in 40 innings (a rate that is as good as anyone else in the game) and if he can find some consistency in his game he will be a top player for many years - unfortunately for him, his career so far has been a case of boom or bust and this will be his first taste of Cairbbean conditions.

The meat of their order is settled, and that comes as no surprise with Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara among the leading players in the world.

Jayawardene is one of the finest technicians in the Sri Lanka team, but his problem recently seems to have come with the pressure of the captaincy and it has to be hoped that the presence of Jayasuriya and Atapattu in the squad will ease some of that burden.

After two centuries in the wins over England last summer, he has failed to reach 50 in 17 innings and more worryingly has managed to score only 46 runs in his last seven attempts - he will be keen to make the most of the group games against Bermuda and Bangladesh to get himself back in form.

Sangakkara has been a rapid improver and takes the pressure of keeping wicket as well in his stride. He is a graceful batsman, but also has the range of big shots to score quickly and can soon turn a big target into an easy one.

Unlike Jayawardene he had been in decent form until a couple of failures in India, but with no pressure on the top of the order from other sources these four will have to produce strongly if there is going to be another Sri Lankan success this spring.

Atapattu seems likely to fill the five spot in the line-up and is a more consistent producer with a less exciting approach to the sport, and there is support in the middle-order from Tillekeratne Dilshan and Russel Arnold, with the latter likely to fill the sixth batsman role after returning to the side in India.

Because of Sangakkara's presence in the side, the Sri Lankans are able to add depth to their side in the middle order with either an extra batsman or bowler, and with the options on offer the flexibility of their side is a massive advantage when it comes to looking at pitch conditions and the way opponents play.

And one big thing in their favour, unlike many of the other teams taking part in the competition, is that they boast three high-class bowlers of differing styles, including the best spinner in the world in Muralitharan.

The wristy off-spinner, such a controversial figure throughout his career, has taken 432 wickets in his one-day career at a fine 23.07 runs per wicket, and with his ODI career set to come to an end after the World Cup, this would be the perfect swansong for the 34-year-old. Whether the pitches in the Caribbean will be ideal for him is another matter, and his average in limited games there is higher than anywhere else.

But punters would be foolish to think that their chances are limited to Murali's performances as they boast two high-class seamers in Chaminda Vaas and the unorthodox Lasith Malinga, one of the top new-ball pairings available.

Vaas could easily claim to be the best left-arm seamer in the world and his 370 ODI wickets have come at an average of under 27 and at a decent economy rate. He rarely gets into a flap and his reliability masks the inconsistency of the more exciting Malinga.

Nicknamed 'Slinger', Malinga has one of the most extreme bowling actions in the game, but he uses it to good effect and was excellent in England last summer when he took 13 wickets in the 5-0 whitewash at an average of under 20.

Add in the medium pace of Farveez Maharoof, the leg-spin option from Malinga Bandara when turn is likely and another quick in Dilhara Fernando and it is easy to see Sri Lanka having one of the deepest attacks available in the Caribbean, making them a dangerous side just about every time they step on to the field.

• Cricket
• Cricket World Cup