T20 World Cup 2022: Sri Lanka Schedule, Squad, Venue, Fixture, Dates, Best Playing XI, Players to Watch out for & Winning Prediction

The Sri Lankan team is possibly in the best frame of mind ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. The team emerged victorious in the Asia Cup 2022 which was nothing short of a surprise to the entire cricketing world including themselves. The team has been displaying some high-quality performances against top-quality sides in recent times, therefore, setting examples for several others to follow. The team outplayed giant T20 sides like India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022 to register a record 6th Asia Cup title in its history. After an emphatic Asia Cup win the team will be shifting its focus towards the big upcoming tournament - The T20 World Cup 2022.

The Sri Lankan team has seemed to be in absolutely zero trouble in the recent games. The team has been spot on in each aspect of the game. The team's batting department has been rock solid against several top-notch bowling lineups. So is the case with the bowlers who have also given it their all to help their side choke the opposition in various circumstances of the match. The team's major objective will be to carry forward this wonderful momentum of theirs into the World T20 as well. 

The Sri Lankan side will have to firstly participate in the qualifying round of the T20 World Cup along with 7 other teams which shall commence from the 16th of October onwards.The team's campaign shall begin on 16th October itself in the first match of the qualifying round against Namibia. A finish in either of the top two positions in their group during the qualifying rounds shall provide Sri Lanka with a chance to feature in the Super 12 stage of the tournament.

In this article, we shall be discussing everything which you need to know about the Sri Lankan team ahead of the World T20 2022. 

T20 World Cup 2022: Sri Lanka schedule

T20 World Cup 2022 - Sri Lanka squad

Standby Players: Ashen Bandara, Praveen Jayawickrema, Dinesh Chandimal, Binura Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando.

T20 World Cup 2022 - Sri Lanka's Playing XI

T20 World Cup 2022: Sri Lanka Players to Watch out for

1. Pathum Nissanka - Sri Lanka's young opening batsman Pathum Nissanka has been a major part of the batting lineup for quite some time in the past. The 23-year-old has been highly impressive batting up the order for his side in white ball cricket in his short career so far. Nissanka who made his T20I debut only in 2021 has notched up remarkably good numbers in the shortest format of the game for his side.

With 801 runs in 28 T20I innings so far for Sri Lanka, the right-handed has been of great use to his side in crucial games. He played an important role with the bat in Sri Lanka's Asia Cup victory last month. The youngsters scored 173 runs in 6 matches at an impressive average of 34.5. He will be expected to carry forward his brilliant performance with the bat in the T20 World Cup too.

2. Bhanuka Rajapaksa - Bhanuka Rajapaksa is another major player to watch out for in the World T20 in Australia. The left-handed has been brilliant with the bat in the middle overs for his side. His ability to stabilise the innings under tough situations and change gears to take on the bowlers instantly in a whistle makes him a highly dangerous batsman to bowl at.

He has been in stellar form with the bat in recent times which played a crucial role in his side winning the Asia Cup last month. He scored a fantastic 191 runs in 6 games including a match-winning knock of 71 in the final. The explosive batsman has a total of 541 runs in 24 T20I innings so far in his career and will be a major part of Sri Lanka's plans in the T20 World Cup.

3. Wanindu Hasaranga - Wanindu Hasaranga has been the pillar of Sri Lanka's bowling lineup in recent times especially in white ball cricket for sure. The 25-year-old with his brilliant spin bowling has been a major threat to several top-quality batsmen from all across the World. With 71 wickets in just 44 T20I matches so far in his career, he is without a doubt one of the most impactful bowlers in the game for his side.

His present form with the ball is excellent too since he picked up 9 wickets in 6 matches in the Asia Cup last month. He can be highly useful with the bat as well at times, a perfect example of which can be found in his fantastic innings of 36 runs of just 21 balls in the final of the Asia Cup versus Pakistan. His all-round skills will be of great use to Sri Lanka for sure in the T20 World Cup next month.

T20 World Cup 2022 - Winning Prediction

Considering the present form of the players and the overall rhythm which the team is in currently, it seems a possibility that Sri Lanka will surely be one of the strongest contenders to lift the T20 World Cup 2022. The team consists of some high-quality players in its squad who are capable of turning a game on its head in a matter of few overs. However one must also take into account the circumstances that the team shall have to pass through in order to achieve glory in the upcoming tournament.

The team will have to firstly battle it out in the qualifying stages and then find a place in the Super 12 stages wherein they will certainly be faced with even more stuff competition from world-class teams. Hence it becomes highly difficult to make a probable assumption about Sri Lanka's World T20 2022 campaign and it will be fair to say that they'll at least be able to make it to the semi-finals of the tournament if not beyond that.

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