Preview: Sri Lanka at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

Wanindu Hasaranga’s men can be hard to stop at the T20 World Cup if they start well and gain momentum.

Ten years on from their ICC T20 World Cup winning campaign led by an outgoing golden generation, Sri Lanka’s next crop of cricketers find themselves with a chance to write their names in history by bringing the country another trophy.

It was in 2014 that Sri Lankan legends Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Lasith Malinga turned the tables on favourites India to win the T20 World Cup final in Bangladesh.

Now, led by prolific all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka may not be outright favourites, but former player Farveez Maharoof believes their recent form cannot be ignored going into the current T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States.

“Sri Lanka have done marvellously to beat Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe [in recent series],” Maharoof told Al Jazeera, before admitting that the country’s poor finishes in the last T20 World Cups “will be playing on the players’ minds”.

The island nation was once considered a powerhouse in the tournament’s history – and rightly so. They qualified for the final in 2009, semifinals in 2010 and home final in 2012, before lifting the trophy in 2014.

However, since that historic six-wicket win over India in April 2014, the Lankan Lions have failed to reach the knockout stages of the tournament.

Hasaranga’s side will aim to resurrect themselves when their tournament campaign gets under way against South Africa on Monday in New York and Maharoof backs them to do well despite being drawn in a tough group.

Sri Lanka’s Group D – or so-called group of death – also includes South Africa, Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Nepal.

“Hasaranga has led from the front in pressure