DJ
Sri Lanka World Cup squad:
1.Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain)(Solid Batsman and can build a big inning)
2.Avishka Fernando (Aggressive Batsman who can hit quick runs)
3.Lahiru Thirimanne (Solid Batsman and can build a big inning)
4.Kusal Perera (Wk)(Aggressive Batsman who can hit quick runs)
5.Kusal Mendis (Solid Batsman and can build a big inning)
6.Angelo Mathews (Aggressive Batsman who can hit quick runs)
7.Jeewan Mendis
8.Isuru Udana
9.Thisara Perera
10.Suranga Lakmal
11.Lasith Malinga
Only 5 Bowlers not balanced , only one from Avishka or Thirimanna should play , Dhanajaya De Silva is a must
I will play Dhananjaya instead of Kusal Mendis. Both Avishka and Kusal P need some real match proctise. So my team will be (1) Diumuth, (2) Avishka, (3) Thirimanna, (4) Kusal P, (5) Mathews, (6) Dhananjaya (7) Jeewan / Milinda (8) Udana (9) Thisara (Lakmal (11) Malinga
My XI for the scotland matches would be ;
1.D.Karunaratne 2.A.Fernando 3.L.Thirimanne 4.D.De Silva 5.A.Mathews 6.K.Perera 7.T.Perera 8.J.Mendis 9.I.Udana 10.S.Lakmal 11.L.Malinga
(To give enough match practice to karunaratne Avishka Thirimanne And Jeevan Mendis .I’d also swap in siri for DDS at no.6 for the 2nd ODI and I’d also give vandersay and Pradeep a game . Maybe rest malinga for both ODIs due to his recent heavy workload )
My XI for the world cup would be ;
1.D.Karunaratne 2.D.De Silva 3.L.Thirimanne 4.A.Mathews(he needs to bat at 4 if he’s going to be playing as a pure batsman and hold the innings together) 5.K.Mendis 6.K.Perera 7.J.Mendis 8.T.Perera ( needs to be able to bowl at least 8 quality overs) 9.I Udana ( same bowling requirement as from perera) 10.S.Lakmal 11.L.Malinga
(DeSilva is a must for balancing the team .I dont see any point in hin playing lower down at 6 or so .He could play a bit aggressively at the top and set the platform for the power hitters lateron. Ideally the top4 should set the team with platforms around 150-160 in the first 30 overs because we have plenty of fire power at the back end to make up for it if we have a proper platform to launch .We should look to add around 180 in the last 20 which would see us getting over that 330 mark .keep in mind that field restrictions of only 4 outside would apply during overs 20-40 so we could capitalize on that from overs 30-40 before going all out in the last 10.
I don’t see Avishka playing and if the team really wants him the only sensible option would be to drop Thirimanne and send DDS to no.3. Because the only possible spot for avishka is Thirimanne’s.
My XI
1-Dimuth Karunarathna (c)
2-Kusal Janith Perera (wk)
3-Lahiru thirimanne
4-Kusal Mendis
5-Angelo Mathews
6-Dananjaya Desilva
7-Thisara Perera
8-Isuru Udana
9-Jeewan Mendis
10-Suranga Lakmal
11-Lasith Malinga
exactly the 11 i had in mind