Scotland vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

Scotland vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

Lasith Malinga Sri Lanka South Africa

Sri Lanka have precious few games before their World Cup campaign gets underway. They will take on Scotland in a two-match ODI series, starting on Saturday, May 18, and after that, it’s just the two World Cup warm-up matches before their tournament opener against New Zealand.

For a side that has gone through plenty of flux in the build-up to the premier event, that is inadequate to say the least. They have a new ODI captain, a seemingly wild imbalance between age groups – the likes of Jeevan Mendis last played an ODI in the 2015 World Cup – and all in all, their chances at the event look bleak.

They need to get find their best combinations pretty soon, and the matches against Scotland will be imperative to that end. For starters, Dimuth Karunaratne will need to quickly adjust to captaining the ODI side, having himself last played in the format two years ago.

The team will have to get used to yet another captain – they’ve had as many as six since 2016 – and Karunaratne’s initial challenge will be to integrate everyone in a working system. Given his track record as a Test skipper, he is more than capable of doing that.

Then there is the question of actual performances. Sri Lanka were all over the place in their last bilateral ODI series – South Africa blanked them 5-0 – and their batsmen really have to ensure solidity, at the very least.

Scotland, ranked No.13 on the ICC charts, will likely provide Sri Lanka with the stern test they need at this stage, especially since they are playing at home. The question is, will the weather permit them? Rain is forecast in Edinburgh on Saturday, and chances are, Sri Lanka’s world cup build-up – brief as it is – will be hampered.

Head to head

Sri Lanka and Scotland have only ever clashed twice – in 2011 and 2015. Sri Lanka won both matches handsomely, by 183 runs and 143 runs, the second clash coming in the 2015 World Cup. But things have changed drastically since then. Scotland will hope to put up a better fight this time, at the very least.

Key players

Calum MacLeod (Scotland): The top-order bat helped Scotland put up a fine fight in their clash against Afghanistan – his 89-ball 100 in Edinburgh helped post a 326 run target, before rain intervened to truncate that total. More of the same will be expected from the 30-year-old.

Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka): This will be a big Test for the new Sri Lankan captain. How he fares here will set the tone for Sri Lanka’s next few months. He will need to be authoritative, decisive, put in a strong performance with the bat himself. Big game.

Likely XI

Scotland: Matthew Cross (wk), Kyle Coetzer (c), Calum MacLeod, Dylan Budge, George Munsey, Craig Wallace, Tom Sole, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Alasdair Evans, Brad Wheal

Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep

Prediction

Rain to intervene. If not, Sri Lanka to win, just about.