Pallekele, February 11 Sri Lanka will need to address their inconsistent batting, particularly in the middle overs, and reconfigure their bowling combination in the absence of injured Wanindu Hasaranga when they face Oman in a Group B match of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday.
The former champions suffered a major setback after Hasaranga, their most potent spin bowler, was ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury sustained during their opening match against Ireland.
Sri Lanka had a disappointing build-up to the ICC tournament, entering it after a 0-3 defeat at home against England. However, the co-hosts had a positive start to their campaign with a 20-run victory over tricky Ireland.
Despite the victory, their batters struggled against spin.
The 2014 champions failed to score any boundaries between the seventh and 15th overs after Ireland introduced spin, an area that Oman will aim to exploit.
Things could have gone awry, but for Kamindu Mendis, who smashed a 44 off 19 balls in the final overs to help Sri Lanka reach a competitive total.
While Kamindu provided the late boost, Kusal Mendis capitalized on his opportunities to anchor the innings with a half-century.
The team will, however, expect more from openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara, who failed to convert their starts.
Hasaranga had put in a superb performance against Ireland, completing his four overs and claiming three crucial wickets despite discomfort.
In his absence, Dushan Hemantha, who has played just five ODIs and three T20Is, will have a big task ahead of him after being named as a replacement.
Fellow spinner Maheesh Theekshana, who also claimed three wickets in the opening match, will need to take on added responsibility.
Oman, on the other hand, struggled against Zimbabwe, losing by eight wickets.
Making their fourth appearance in the T20 showpiece, Oman struggled against pace and extra bounce, with their top five batters failing to reach double digits in Colombo.
They will need to quickly address these weaknesses if they are to spring a surprise, as they did in their debut in 2016, when they defeated Ireland.
Skipper Jatinder Singh knows his side will need to score at least 150-160 runs to give their bowling attack, their stronger suit, something to defend.
Sufyan Mehmood impressed with two wickets in the previous outing, while Shah Faisal also bowled well.
Teams:
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Pramod Madushan, Dushan Hemantha.
Oman: Jatinder Singh (c), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed, Mohammad Nadeem, Jay Odedra, Ashish Odedara, Shafiq Jan.
Match starts 11am (IST).
