T20 World Cup 2021, Windies vs Sri Lanka (Super 12) Preview: SL aims to end WI's semis chances
Sri Lanka is already out of the semis contention for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. As it takes on Windies on Thursday, it would look to become the party spoilers by ending the defending champion's chances.
FollowFormer champion Sri Lanka is already out of the race for the semis in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. However, it would look to finish the tournament on a high, even if it means being a party-spoiler to defending champion Windies. On Thursday, the two clash in their Group 1 Super 12 tie at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Here is the match preview of this tricky meeting.
Current form
Windies has played three games so far, winning just a match and losing a couple, while it had lost both its warm-up games. On the other hand, Lanka has played four, winning one and losing three, while it was undefeated in the Group Stage. As of now, it is incredibly intricate to predict an outright winner of this match.
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Team strength & weaknesses, and players to watch out
As far as the sides are concerned, Windies is quite solid with the bat. However, its performance has been terrible of late. The likes of veteran opener Chris Gayle, along with Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, skipper Keiron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Nicholas Pooran, will have to make an impact. Also, its bowling has been extremely unstable, while veteran pacer Ravi Rampaul would lead the department.
On the other hand, Lanka is heavy with the ball. However, its batting is rich in star power. Despite being out of the race, stars like Avishka Fernando, skipper Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Akila Danajaya and a couple more are likely to fire to put on a show.
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Injury concerns, head-to-head, weather and pitch report
None of the sides has any injury concerns. The two sides have clashed 14 times in the format, with both winning seven apiece, while in the competition, they have met on seven instances, with Lanka leading 5-2. The Abu Dhabi weather would be heated with 31 degrees of an expected temperature and 60% humidity. The track would be batting-friendly, while the evening game would make the sides prefer chasing.
Probable XI
Windies: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Roston Chase, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard (c), Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo, Akeal Hosein and Ravi Rampaul.
Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana and Lahiru Kumara.
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Fantasy XI
Batters: Rajapaksa, Lewis (vc), Nissanka- Lewis is sure to provide an explosive start, as his consistency makes him the deputy captain, while Rajapaksa and Nissanka can dominate both in the top and middle-order.
Wicketkeepers: Perera, Pooran- Perea is definitely firing as an opener, while Pooran would stabilise the middle.
All-rounder: Hasaranga (c)- He has been highly effective with his pace bowling of late, making him the skipper.
Bowlers: Rampaul, Chameera, Hosein, Kumara, Theekshana- Pacer Rampual is definite to lead the department along with Chameera and Kumara, while Hosein and Theekshana have made a relative impact recently.
Match details
Date and day: November 4, 2021 (Thursday)
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (Also available in HD, along with regional languages)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar
