5 Players who can revive Sri Lanka in ODI cricket

Asia Cup 2018 ended on an embarrassing note for Sri Lanka. They were handed a 137 runs defeat by Bangladesh in their opening game. As if this defeat was not enough, they were yet again outplayed by the minnows Afghanistan in their next match. With this defeat, they crashed out of the tournament.

Ever since the retirement of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, the team has not been able to find their replacements. The Sri Lankan team of the past, even if they were losing, were known to put up a tough fight. The present team has just surrendered before the opposition on several occasions.

Every team goes through a rebuilding phase. In the past, we have seen teams like Australia, India and England rebuild themselves after the retirement of marquee players. Even the Sri Lankans rebuilt themselves after the retirement of players like Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva in the early 2000s.

There is no dearth of talent in Sri Lanka's domestic structure. Even the ones representing the national side are quality players. Their consistent failures is an altogether different issue. The selectors need to chalk out a core group of players and give them a long run. This would go a long way in developing a competitive team for the future.

Having said that, let us have a look at some of the players who can revive the fortunes of Sri Lanka cricket yet again.

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#1. Dinesh Chandimal

Dinesh Chandimal was tipped to be the torchbearer of Sri Lanka cricket after the retirement of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. However, he has not been able to live up to the expectations.

At the moment, Chandimal appears to be the best batsman that the Sri Lankans have. Although he has been underperforming in the ODIs, he is too good a batsman to be missed out. Recently, he has been made the captain of the ODI side and is expected to lead them in the upcoming World Cup.

Sri Lanka have almost 15 ODI games in hand before they go into the World Cup. These games will be an opportunity for Chandimal to turn around the fortunes of his team. The newly appointed captain just needs to instill belief and confidence in the team with his performances and captaincy skills.

#2. Angelo Mathews

Yesterday, Angelo Mathews was sacked from ODI captaincy after the dismal performance of his team in Asia Cup 2018. Also, owing to fitness concerns, he has been dropped from the ODI squad against England. However, in all possibility, he still is very much a part of Sri Lanka's ODI setup.

In recent times, he has been their most dependable ODI batsmen. The whole team needs to play around him to post challenging totals on the board. Being the seniormost middle-order batsmen in the side, he can help the upcoming batsmen in developing their game.

The 203 ODIs old veteran needs to guide the young players with his experience. His experience is bound to come in handy for the Sri Lankans in the upcoming ICC events.

#3. Lasith Malinga

Recently, Lasith Malinga was called back to Sri Lanka's ODI side for the ongoing Asia Cup. While he had an excellent outing in the very first match, he was taken to cleaners by the Afghanistan batsmen in the match that followed.

However, if his performance in the first match is anything to go by, he still has a fair bit of cricket left in him and the Sri Lanka cricket need to use it in the best possible way. A veteran of 206 ODIs with 306 wickets, he can offer a lot to the upcoming pacers.

Even if he plays for the next 1-2 years, he will play a huge role in the development of the young generation of pacers around him. For this to happen, he needs to work hard on his fitness and keep contributing with the ball.

#4. Akila Dananjaya

A yet another addition to the list of unconventional spinners to emerge from Sri Lanka, Akila Dananjaya is a quality offspinner. He displays immense control over his artistry while bowling.

Dhananjaya was dropped from ODI side after playing a lone ODI in 2012. Since his comeback in 2017, he has been performing quite well in ODIs. However, he has lacked support from his fellow bowlers.

Although he is just 24 years of age, he has shown experience and maturity beyond his age. He has the ability to lead the Sri Lankan bowling attack for a long time. His fellow bowlers need to bowl around him to pose a threat to the opposition's batting lineup.

#5. Niroshan Dickwella

Niroshan Dickwella is a wicket-keeper batsman. The southpaw opens the batting for Sri Lanka and is usually aggressive in his approach. In his 41 match ODI career so far, he has scored 1232 runs at an average of 32.42.

Dickwella has a wide array of shots. Along with cricketing shots, he is good at playing scoop and ramp shots. However, more often than not, he has been found guilty of throwing away the starts. He needs to learn the art of building an innings.

Dickwella has all the ingredients in him to develop into a fine wicket-keeper batsman. He just needs to work on the mental aspect of his game. The coaches and the support staff also need to work on him too.

He might just turn out to be the firepower at the top which the Sri Lankan cricket has been missing since the retirement of Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan.