Sri Lanka and the Cardiff horror show

The islanders do not have a great record at Sophia Gardens; it can make amends in the World Cup 2019 clash against Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews ducks to avoid a bouncer in the World Cup 2019 opener against New Zealand in Cardiff.

Cricket grounds leave an imprint in a player’s mind. Every team likes to return to the stadium where the success rate is higher. That doesn’t happen all the time. But Sri Lanka’s return to Sophia Gardens in Cardiff runs in the opposite parallel.

Ahead of the clash against Afghanistan on Tuesday, history suggests that the islanders lost all their five ODIs — including the World Cup 2019 opener loss to New Zealand — at the venue.

Sri lanka lost to New Zealand (by one wicket) and India (by eight wickets) in the Champions Trophy in 2013. Three years later, it lost to England (by 122 runs) in the fifth ODI of the bilateral series. In 2017, it lost in the Champions Trophy again, this time to Pakistan (by three wickets).

Sri Lanka also lost one Test it played at the venue. After scoring 400 in the first innings, it folded for 82 in the second.

The batting record isn’t impressive either. Angelo Mathews’ 112 in six innings is the maximum runs by a batsman.