Sri Lanka go into the Champions Trophy as underdogs and rightly so after a tumultuous few months which saw them lose 5-0 in an ODI series to South Africa. And things don’t seem to be on the rise and as recently as this week, they succumbed to an embarrassing loss to Scotland and had to endure the shame of seeing Bangladesh move past them in the ICC ODI rankings table.
It is fair to say that Sri Lanka have never fully recovered from the loss of their three colossal batting talents - Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Their batting now looks haphazard, exposed and vulnerable to even the slightest of threats while their bowling was clubbed around by Kyle Coetzer and Matt Cross, the two Scottish openers who put on a scintillating 201 stand.
But then, cricket is a funny game and one day you could be playing like Kenya and the next day like Australia. Sri Lanka has a pretty young squad and there is talent in their 15 to retain hopes of a semi-final berth although they are clubbed in with India, South Africa and Pakistan.
Here we take a look at why Sri Lanka can still be optimistic about their chances in the Champions Trophy.
#5 The good batting tracks on offer
Sri Lanka might just be aided by the conditions in England, which have seen high scoring games become a common affair. They do not have the most solid of batting line-ups but there is enough talent in there to rack up scores near 300 if conditions assist. The pair of Kusal Perera and Upul Tharanga upfront offer promise with dynamism while the middle order is aided by the return of Angelo Matthews.
Chandimal and Kapugedara also reek of experience and Sri Lanka may not really be concerned if the pitches offer bountiful runs. Their bowling may not be the best but Lasith Malinga has shown signs of returning to form in the IPL while Lakmal has been steadily improving which might just be enough to keep them in the game.
#4 Graham Ford's experience of conditions
Graham Ford was the coach of Surrey before he joined the Sri Lankan coaching staff and is pretty familiar with the conditions in England and particularly those at the Oval, where Lanka play two of their three league matches against South Africa and India. Ford looked pretty pleased about the wicket when he spoke to ESPNCricinfo in the build up to the Trophy.
"From what I've seen, it's been a particularly dry start to the summer, and the scores have been really high. That should suit us. If you look at the scores of the domestic one-day competition on now in England, the scores have been really high. Hopefully, those are the kinds of pitches that we can perform well on", Ford had said as revealed by ESPNCricinfo.
An experience of the conditions might be a crucial factor, especially when they play a team like South Africa, who are a tad susceptible in big tournaments. Ford's familiarity with the ground and its intrinsic details will undoubtedly help Lanka in their league games.
#3 A more consolidated middle-order
Sri Lanka are helped by the return of their skipper, Angelo Matthews and have also recalled Chamara Kapugedara to their line-up. The latter smashed 71 off 50 balls in the game against Scotland and looked in sublime touch. Kusal Mendis at number three has excelled in bits and pieces and is a precious talent worth spending their time on.
Chandimal, meanwhile, lends further experience to the middle order while Asela Gunaratne adds the X-factor. The terrific Gunaratne was the find of the past few months for Lanka with his finishing skills and ability to accelerate towards the end, catching the eye of several cricket pundits.
Thisara Perera is another all-rounder who has made a comeback to the side. He has looked good since then and also adds value to the bowling attack. They also have Dhananjaya de Silva to bank on in case one of these men do not click.
#2 A few X-factor players
Sri Lanka have quite a few players this time who can turn the game on its head and this might favour them against any opposition that takes them lightly. Kusal Perera at the top is one such player who can take the game away with his belligerent and aggressive stroke play. Asela Gunaratne, who hit a hundred against South Africa in February followed by some spectacular knocks in the T20s against Australia is another such player.
Lakshan Sandakan troubled the likes of AB de Villiers in the series against South Africa and is a chinaman spinner who is a relative unknown to most oppositions. He bamboozled Australia in a Test series in Lanka and could do the same to India or Pakistan, who are yet to face him.
#1 The underdog tag
The tag of favourites going into a major tournament is a pressure cooker situation. Ask South Africa! Sri Lanka are helped by the fact that they have been pathetic in the past few months in cricketing terms, meaning that despite the return of Angelo Matthews, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga and Chamara Kapugedara, they walk in as underdogs to the Champions Trophy.
There is little pressure on their young players, who carry little baggage while most of their senior players have all been part of a World Cup final (2011 in India) and know what to expect in terms of pressure. That they go into this tournament free minded is possibly Lanka's biggest advantage. So little is expected of them that they might as well go into every game with the mindset of a bilateral series.
