T20 WC 2022: Five Sri Lanka players to watch out for

Sri Lanka managed to qualify for the Super 12 stages of the T20 World Cup 2022 rather in a hard-fought way after losing their first game against Namibia. The Island nation tasted success recently in the Asia Cup 2022 but had to play the T20 World Cup qualifiers due to their drastic run in the last two years in international cricket. They finally have a settled side of a lot of youngsters who can add value. On that note, here are 5 players to watch from the squad in the upcoming ICC event in Australia.

Kusal Mendis

Kusal Mendis is one of the most exciting batters in the Sri Lankan line-up and he has managed to impress with his batsmanship. However, consistency has been an issue and he is growing into maturity now having moved up the order in T20Is. The right-hander has been providing the side a lot of blazing starts and has finally lived up to the talent he possesses.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Bhanuka Rajapaksa has managed to play some outrageous shots whenever he is at the crease and certainly, he makes batting look easy. The left-hander has impeccable timing and he can play powerful innings when needed. He is a vital cog in the line-up and brings a lot to the side with his ability to turn around games.

Wanindu Hasaranga

Wanindu Hasaranga is among the best spinners going around in the world at the moment and he has mastered the art of deceiving batters. The leg spinner has used his variations wisely and is always in the wicket’s column. The batters have found it hard to go after him with the flat trajectory he bowls at and his googly has always been effective.

Maheesh Theekshana

Maheesh Theekshana has been a silent performer for the Sri Lankan side and his ability to cut down the scoring rate is a massive advantage. The mystery spinner is hard to read and has got the skillsets to trouble the best of batters. He can bowl in different phases of the game and his partnership alongside Hasaranga makes the Sri Lankan spit attack a formidable one.

Lahiru Kumara

Lahiru Kumara wasn’t initially in the plans for Sri Lanka, however, he has been drafted into the playing XI after Dushmantha Chameera was ruled out. The speedster has the ability to clock high speeds and can extract a lot of bounce in the Australian conditions. He could be a surprise package for Sri Lanka in the Super 12 stages.