Two sides that are ranked pretty similarly in the ODI standing of the game, the only strong hand the Sri Lankans have over the Windies, at this time, is that they are ranked one place above the Caribbean team: stationed currently on the 8th spot.
The two teams face each other but only after a gap of half a decade- indicating there’s been a complete vacuum of bilateral ties between the two.
Back in 2015, the West Indies were simply bullied for there’s no other way of putting it for the visitors lost 2 Tests, 3 ODIs, and were able to win just 1 T20 against a dominant Sri Lankan side.
But a lot has changed since then.
In 2020,
the Sri Lankans are refinding themselves under the captaincy of Dimuth Karunatatne, having embraced a poor World Cup campaign in 2019, ready to take on new challenges in the post-Mahela, post-Sanga era, where a Malinga isn’t an everyday starter in games.
On the other hand, the Windies seem a new, refreshing unit under recently-appointed captain Pollard, albeit carrying an old foe in unpredictability.
That being said, let’s determine some key players during West Indies tour of Sri Lanka 2020, who’ll hopefully render standout performances:
Isuru Udana
Isuru Udana will be among the key players during West Indies tour of Sri Lanka 2020 for the simple reason that the Windies batsmen have often struggled to negotiate a left-arm pace.
That said, the limited-overs format specialist who’ll be hoping to challenge the Windies batters with his variations and changes of pace.
The very fact that none in the current Windies line-up have faced the left-arm with the possible exception of confronting him only last year in a one-off occasion during the ICC World Cup would make this hopefully, a close contest.
Can he manage to remove the usually steady Hope early, angling into the somewhat rusty right-hander, as seen by the Barbadian’s recent form?
Moreover, Udana, a fierce-striker of the ball has also collected a fifty each in ODI and T20 cricket and could be a surprise factor in these contests.
Kieron Pollard
Pollard’s leadership stint, thus far, has more wins than losses; can he emerge victorious again? (SportsMaxtv)
Ever since Pollard as assumed the leadership of the team in white-ball cricket, one can suddenly spot a whiff of confidence and dare one say, an indication of that massive turnaround most crave for from the West Indies.
Having a pretty successful leadership record against his name, including powerful series wins against Afghanistan- comprising of one of the best bowling attacks in the current game- and the Irish- as seen recently- Pollard produced inspired leadership for West Indies during their recent India assignment.
Not someone who’s just a talker or motivator to a young side during times of duress, the vastly-experienced Trinidadian, renowned for clubbing the most ferocious of sixes, prefers to lead by an example, as seen in the recent times.
Picture the 135-run stand that came off just 16.2 overs against India at Cuttack, to which Pollard contributed 74 off just 51 balls, smoking 7 sixes.
The picture also the 3rd T20, held at Mumbai where the right-hander blasted 68 of his team’s 173 runs, albeit ending on the wrong side of the result versus India.
But these, truth be told, are the sorts of innings that the batsman would himself want to deliver and his team would expect especially against a tricky opponent that can look as unpredictable and suddenly competitive as the Caribbean forces themselves.
Angelo Mathews
Mathews’ useful all-round skills and wealth of experience should give SL an edge over Windies (Gulf News)
Angelo Mathews is one of the humblest and most dedicated servants of Sri Lankan cricket.
A talent that’s credible with the bat and surprisingly wicket-taking with the bowl especially during the mid-stages of a contest, the senior Sri Lankan figurehead will be among the key players during West Indies tour of Sri Lanka 2020.
Fresh from a maiden Test double against an in-form Zimbabwe, Mathews, who’s compiled tons and tons of runs in an ODI run that began in 2008, boasts of 5800 plus ODI runs, including 40 half-centuries and 3 hundreds.
His 115 wickets and 1 four-for and 1 fifer (from 214 ODIs) exemplify his standing as a premier all-rounder for Sri Lanka. Probably, someone who’s a subtler and modest Shane Watson for a close-knit unit!
Although he’s just scored 187 runs against the West Indies but from just 6 innings, including 3 instances where he carried the bat prove his effectiveness against the men in maroon.
Moreover, his average of 62 and a strike rate of 95 should give some hard times for Sri Lanka’s visitors.
Jason Holder
The only West Indian all-rounder of eminence and experience that stands his ground against a team comprising of the likes of Angelo Mathews, Jason Holder, who returns to the ODI fray, after missing out the Ireland series, hasn’t really produced gob-smacking performances against Karunaratne’s side.
But then, the former ODI and T20 captain does have 11 wickets at a decent economy of 5.3 against a side versus whom he’s played only 6 of his 128 ODI games.
A big hitter of the ball down the order and often the go-to pacer who can both open the innings and come in as the first-change, Pollard will rest on his former captain’s understanding of the game to further a strong contest.
The only question is, can the lanky Bajan deliver for the West Indies and offer the goods from both bat and ball? We will have to wait and watch.
Lahiru Kumara
Kumara has the added advantage of playing Windies before, in fact, at the Caribbean (Celebritiesbio)
The last that one saw Lahiru Kumara- a lanky, burly fast bowler- in action against the West Indies for a sustained period was when his Sri Lanka toured the Caribbean.
It was in 2018 that the fans on both sides of the globe got to see a bustling force breaking away into action, albeit in red-ball contests.
Someone who can bring the ball closely into the right-hander and move it away too, Kumara’s strength stems from his ability to pitch the ball up to the batsmen, tempting them to play an erroneous stroke, his raw pace backing up the groove.
Although, a proven force in motion in Tests, amplified by his 67 wickets from just 21 Test appearances, Kumara would want to carry all that great form into white-ball cricket, where he’s just featured in 13 games, picking as many wickets, albeit at a fluffy economy that’s currently touching 7.
That said, the series versus the Windies should offer a refreshing perspective to one of Sri Lanka’s new fast-bowling tearaways, who, at 23, has so many years in him.
Sheldon Cottrell
Windies would hope to offer a lot of salutes to their opponents in SL (The sportstar- Hindu)
Cottrell doesn’t have the brute pace. Nor does the left-arm medium-pacer boast of the deadliest of yorkers. But what one of Windies’ most passionate contestants in the limited-overs canvass have is the ability to generate a troublesome angel for batsmen and that beautifully-executed shorter delivery that’s yielded a lot of wickets for the Jamaican.
The soldier, who’s thus far, only represented his side in a solitary contest against the Sri Lankans ( during WC 2019) would be raring to go on his maiden tour to Sri Lanka and would be keener than most to perform and offer the salute having endured an ordinary series against the Irish.
So what lies ahead for the taker of 44 ODI wickets from just 32 games? Can he truly emerge as one of the key players during West Indies tour of Sri Lanka 2020?
Kusal Perera
What’ll definitely make Kusal Perera among the key players during West Indies tour of Sri Lanka 2020 would be his undaunted batting and free-spirited attacking style.
The very fact that this is one of Sri Lanka’s most dependable and trusted forces in the current context adds a layer of respect around the fluent left-hander.
A close run-chase, a nervy situation down the death overs, Perera- who’s just a little over 200 runs away from reaching 3000 ODI run-mark – is always up to the task.
Just as he was back in South Africa during his breathtaking 153*, just as his captain would hope he will be in the ODI leg of the series up ahead.
That he’s already fired 238 runs against the West Indies from just 6 games- including 3 fifties, the highest score of 99, and a fantastic strike rate of 106- should make him one of the most dangerous batsmen in the contests.
Should Perera seem in murderous touch, it could be curtains for an otherwise talented Windies bowling line up that has hardly played a great deal in Sri Lanka.
Shai Hope
Hope, who had a forgettable series vs Ireland, would hope to bring back the big runs (The Sports Lounge)
A classic batsman in the mold of Test cricket, possessing both- defensive technique, as well as an elegant repertoire of strokes- Shai Hope, has, over the course of past half a decade, emerged as the premier run-maker for a Windies that’s often struggled to identify their main or best batsman post the Chris Gayle-era.
In 2019, Hope didn’t just flourish; he plundered runs, lots of them, scoring 1345 of his 3051 ODI runs, striking 4 gorgeous hundreds and collecting 8 fluent fifties.
Not a batsman you can readily compare to the fab-four, but someone who certainly seems gifted enough to break into cricket’s checkered enlistment of current best batsmen, Hope will look to score lots of vital runs in the ODIs ahead.
In fact, one of the key players during West Indies tour of Sri Lanka 2020 would be desirous of collecting runs from the top-order having scored just 45 from 3 games versus the Irish recently, much against his usually-high standards.
Some Windies performances versus Sri Lanka by prominent players
| Player | Most Runs | Best score | Wickets | Best bowling | Average/eco |
| Pollard | 8 (5 matches) | 4 | 1 (1 | 1/24 | Bowling eco 7, batting eco 4 |
| Holder | 128 (6 matches) | 45 not out | 11 | 3/57 | Decent Eco 5.3 |
| Cottrell | 1 match | NA | 1 (1 match) | 1/69 | NA |
| D. Bravo | 286 runs (8 matches) | 79 | NA | NA | 2 fifties, avg of 35 |
| Hope | 77 runs (3 matches) | 47 |
NA | NA | 25 |
Note: The likes of Pollard, Hope, and Cottrell- three core members of the current Windies side have hardly played significant games against the island nation led by Dimuth Karunatne.
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