[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Squad: Dasun Shanaka ©, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha.

The X-Files. Friends. The Spice Girls. Gazza's goal against Scotland. Lager, lager, lager, lager, mega mega white thing. It's only when you start listing the memories that you truly realise how long ago 1996 was, and nothing feels further away than Sri Lanka winning the World Cup. More astounding still, it's only been a dozen years since the Golden Generation were losing finalists in the last Indian World Cup, but the ensuing decline has seen them finish as quarter-finalists in 2015 and group stagers in 2019, then go through the qualifiers for this tournament; they haven't made the knockouts of an ICC white ball event at the last five attempts. Although they waltzed through qualification - the rot hasn't yet reached West Indian proportions - they've since lost their principal spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and principal seamer Dushmantha Chameera to injury, and though they reached the Asia Cup final against India last month, it proved a rank humiliation in which they were bundled out for 50 by Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya in scarcely fifteen overs.

Silver linings? Before getting spanked like a village outfit in the big showdown, they managed a couple of decent wins over Bangladesh and edged out Afghanistan and Pakistan in tight encounters, so there's clearly life in Sri Lanka yet. Despite a two year break from ODIs, Kusal Mendis has been a run-machine at number three, and opener Pathum Nissanka shone over the summer (though found the Asia Cup harder going); whether Nissanka is partnered at the top by Kusal Perera or Dimuth Karunaratne seems like a game-by-game choice, but the middle order of Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya da Silva and captain Dasun Shanaka is settled, even if their consistency leaves something to be desired (the skipper has only made it into double figures twice since the first week of June, both times against Bangladesh). Lasith Malinga and Suranga Lakmal have both called time since 2019, but the off-breaks of Maheesh Theekshana returned 19 wickets in qualification, ably supported by Asalanka, while two twenty-year-olds - Matheesha Pathirana and Dunith Wellalage - were heavily among the wickets at the Asia Cup, the latter particularly exciting with 5-40 against India last month as the left-arm finger-spinner deputised for the absent Hasaranga. Kasun Rajitha completes the pace armoury alongside Pathirana, but it's Wellalage who's captured the imagination of a nation in economic and political turmoil and desperate for a hero. If Sri Lanka are to make an impact in 2023 and beyond, then the young man who counted Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Babar Azam among his September scalps will be the one to watch.

Highest World Cup total: 398-5 vs Kenya (Kandy, 1996)
Lowest World Cup total: 86 vs West Indies (Manchester, 1975)
Highest World Cup innings: 161*, Tillakaratne Dilshan vs Bangladesh (Melbourne, 2015)
Best World Cup bowling figures: 6-25, Chaminda Vaas vs Bangladesh (Pietermaritzburg, 2003)
Leading World Cup run-scorer: Kumar Sangakkara, 1,532 runs
Leading World Cup wicket-taker: Muttiah Muralitharan, 68 wickets


Tournament Schedule: South Africa, Pakistan, Australia, Netherlands, England, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand