Sri Lanka may have dropped down the ranks in International Cricket in recent times, but there was a time when they used to be one of the best teams in the world. The fact that they have won a World Cup and a Champions Trophy is evidence of that. These trophies were due to some of the best players in the world that Sri Lanka produced in the last three decades. So, today we have brought you an all-time XI of Sri Lanka in ODI cricket with the best of Sri Lanka’s large pool of players to leave an impact on the game.
All-time XI of Sri Lanka in ODI Cricket:
Openers:
Among the best openers to play for Sri Lanka, Sanath Jayasuriya and Tilakaratne Dilshan stand out the most. The iconic duo combinedly exhibits 100 half-centuries, 49 centuries, and 20041 runs as openers. Individually, they are the highest and second-highest run-scoring openers of all-time for Sri Lanka in ODIs. On top of that, both can act as a bowling option when needed.
Jayasuriya climbed a mountain of 12674 runs scoring 28 centuries from 384 ODIs in his career. During this period, he maintained a career strike rate of 92.55, which is evidence of his aggressive batting style. On the other hand, Tilakaratne Dilshan employs a contrasting playing style. He used to take his time while enjoying Jayasuriya’s fireworks from the other end. This helped him average 46.04 and score 21 centuries in his 179 matches long ODI career. The contrasting playing styles and the left-right combination of this duo make this a perfect opening pair for this all-time XI.
Middle-order:
The legendary duo of Kumar Sangakkara(wk) and Mahela Jayawardene(c) cannot be omitted from an all-time Sri Lankan XI in any format. So the first two batters to join the middle order of this XI are these two. Sangakkara’s 13975 and Jayawardene’s 12381 combinedly add to 26356 Sri Lankan runs in ODIs. In addition to being two of the most experienced players, they are also two of the best batters in Sri Lanka’s ODI cricket history.
Apart from their batting, they have contributed to Sri Lanka in other ways as well. Sangakkara made the most dismissals for Sri Lanka in ODI cricket, beating every other Lankan wicketkeeper by an enormous margin. On the other hand, Jayawardene captained Sri Lanka in 129 ODIs and led them to 71 victories, making him one of the most successful captains for Sri Lanka in ODIs. So, it would be best to let them carry forward these roles in this all-time XI.
Apart from this duo, Sri Lanka was fortunate enough to have one more duo who played a vital role in their 1996 World Cup triumph. That duo was that of Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga. Aravinda garnered 9284 runs in his ODI career and played crucial innings in the semi-final and final of the 1996 World Cup. On the other hand, Ranatunga was a great leader and amassed 7456 ODI runs himself. His leadership skills could aid Jayawardene in this XI. Therefore, Arjuna Ranatunga will be the perfect fit for the role of vice-captain.
All-rounders:
Moving on to the all-rounders, the first one is Angelo Mathews. His batting average of 41.67 in ODIs is pretty good for an all-rounder. This is evidence of his ability and maturity as a batter. So, in case of a top-order collapse, he might be able to steady the ship. Mathews can also be a decent medium-pace bowling option in the middle overs. He has 120 ODI wickets under his belt to prove his case as a bowler.
The second all-rounder will come lower down the batting order and thus requires the ability to score swiftly. The fitting choice for this role is Thisara Perera. He has an ODI century under his belt and a career strike rate of 112.08, making him suitable as a finisher. Perera also has 175 ODI wickets in his name, with a bowling average of 32.79. So he can be used as a third or fourth pacer to reduce the workload on the lead ones.
Bowlers:
The second-highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka in ODIs is our first lead bowler in this XI. Well, he is none other than Chaminda Vaas. Vaas brings the experience of 321 ODIs and 399 wickets to the table. Apart from this, his variations and left-arm pace bring the desired variety to the bowling attack of this XI.
Every ODI XI needs a lead spinner to create chances and build pressure in the middles overs. So, Muttiah Muralitharan comes in it fill this void in this XI. His ability to spin the ball is unmatchable by any other Sri Lankan spinner. That’s why he is the highest ODI wicket-taker of all time in International Cricket with 524 wickets.
To wrap things up, the final addition to this all-time XI of Sri Lanka in ODI cricket is Lasith Malinga. His sidearm action can be the harbinger of trouble for any batter in the world. On top of that, if someone can stop restrict batters at death and deliver accurate toe crushers, it’s him. Malinga took 338 wickets in his ODI career and is still the third-highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka in ODIs.
