Sri Lanka v West Indies World Twenty20 preview
The West Indies and Sri Lanka face off in what shapes as a must-win match for both sides in the world Twenty20 Super Eight today.
The importance of an opening win could not be underestimated in any circumstances, but with tournament favourites Australia and India rounding out their Super Eight stage, this match takes on an extra edge.
To put it bluntly, barring a string of dodgy Duckworth/Lewis results or wash-outs in Group F’s remaining Super Eight matches, whichever team loses this match can pretty much count themselves out of semi-final contention.
So, to the West Indies then. A 70-run victory over Ireland and a Duckworth/Lewis method win over England tell us very little about how the hosts will stack up across a 20-over per side match against last year’s runners up.
Chris Gayle accepted the win over England, and was instrumental in it with his 25 from 12 ensuring the reduced 60-run target was never going to pose a problem for his side. What of the bowlers though?
For the full 20 overs of England’s innings, before the rain set in, they were hammered to all corners of Providence Stadium at a rate of 9.55 runs an over. Darren Sammy (2-22 from his four overs) was the only bowler who could hold his head high after that match.
Fortunately for his teammates, Ravi Rampaul (0-53 from three overs) in particular, it was the Duckworth/Lewis method that came under scrutiny after the match and not the fact they’d allowed England to amass a 191-run total earlier in the match.
It’s that same bowling attack that will have the task of containing and dismissing the red-hot Mahela Jayawardene at Kensington Oval today. The Sri Lanka opener showed no regard for either the New Zealand bowlers with his 81 from 51 in a losing side, and even less respect for Zimbabwe’s bowling attack as he reached his century off 63 balls.
It’s hard to see Jayawardene crumbling against this West Indies attack, but the question will be whether his opening partner, Tillakaratne Dilshan (three and two in the group stage matches), can find his timing in Bridgetown and deliver the exciting batting that became his trademark at last year’s World Twenty20 in England.
Wicketkeeper/batsman and Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara (four and three in his two innings so far in the Caribbean) is another searching for runs. Jayawardene’s superb batting has thus far covered for both Dilshan and Sangakkara’s shortcomings, but if the 32-year-old falls early against the West Indies, Sri Lanka may well be vulnerable.
Sri Lanka will almost certainly start this match without the services of the leading wicket-taker in both Tests and ODI cricket, Muttiah Muralidaran, who depending on who in the Sri Lanka camp you listen to is either out of the entire competition with a groin injury that needs two to three weeks recovery time, or has not been ruled out completely. That leaves the experienced Sanath Jayasuriya to lead the spin-bowling attack for Sri Lanka, and the 40-year-old has showed in the opening two matches that Twenty20 is not just a young man’s game.
Lasith Malinga’s sling bowling, which proved expensive at the death against New Zealand in the group stage, can again expect to be tested against Gayle and Kieron Pollard, and the Sri Lanka spearhead will need to hold his nerve against the power-hitters.
Neither side will feel their group stage matches were up to scratch, with wins against cricketing minnows and, in the West Indies’ case a little luck, all they have to show for their efforts there.
Vast improvement is needed from both sides if they are to prevent India or Australia moving through to the semi-finals from this Super Eight group, and if they are to have any hope of doing so, that must start with a win here.
Prediction: Sri Lanka to win against a West Indies side that struggles to put together a solid team effort.
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