T20WC Preview: WI vs SL

West Indies came back to the winning track but perhaps they were too late to join the party as their chances for making it to the semi-finals is very difficult. They made a few changes in their line-up in the last game dropping out of form Lendl Simmons and bringing in Roston Chase while Jason Holder replaced injured Obed McCoy, Chris Gayle moved back to opening the innings.

Windies bowlers did an excellent job in the last game defending 142 runs against Bangladesh. Dwayne Bravo made full use of his experience while Andre Russell held his nerve in the last over and helped his team win the game by 3 runs. Nicholas Pooran played a brilliant knock and was the Man of the Match for his 40 runs off 22 balls.

Roston Chase did well in his first game, he held one end after an early collapse and scored vital 39 runs. West Indies need to win both their remaining games by big margins to boost their NRR to give themselves any chance to qualify for the semis.

Sri Lanka are out of the semi-final race. They have been very inconsistent and this is the main reason for their poor performance in the Super 12 round. Apart from Wanindu Hasarange none of the players have performed consistently. Senior players Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando did not perform as it was expected from them. Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa have been very promising for Sri Lanka.

Wanindu Hasaranga has been excellent with the ball while others have failed to deliver. Dushmantha Chameera has did well against South Africa while Lahiru Kumara has been very poor in the last two games while Maheesh Theekshana has failed to pick wickets. Sri Lanka will need a complete team performance to win this game against the West Indies.

Probable Playing 11

West Indies

No changes are expected in the Windies eleven.

Probable XI: Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard(c), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo, Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul.
 

Sri Lanka

With Avishka Fernando going through a lean phase Sri Lanka may bring in Dhananjaya de Silva for him.

Probable Xi: Kusal Perera (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva/Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dushmantha Chameera, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana.

Pitch Report

This match will be played at Abu Dhabi. The pitch here has been the best wicket to bat from the last few matches. There is dew in the second innings but the batters enjoy batting in the first innings as well. Team winning the toss will look to chase on this pitch.

Head to Head

Overall: WI 7-7 SL
In T20WC: Sri Lanka lead 5-2
 

Match-Ups

Nissanka vs Holder: 18 runs for 1 dismissal
Pollard vs Hasaranga: 19 runs for 1 dismissal
Simmons vs Hasaranga: 11 runs for 3 dismissals
Pooran vs Chameera: 0(3) for 2 dismissals
Hetmyer vs Right Arm: Average 17, SR 105
Shanaka vs Right Arm Pace Average 15, SR 115
Asalanka/Kusal vs Right Arm Pace: Average 30+
 

Key Players

West Indies

• Evin Lewis: Evin Lewis amongst the most destructive openers in T20 cricket. The southpaw can tear apart any bowling line-up on his day. He scored a brilliant 56 against the Proteas and has failed in the other two games. Lewis has scored most runs for West Indies in 2021, 452 runs in 16 T20I games at an average of 30.13 in. A good pitch at Abu Dhabi and with NRR in mind Windies will want Lewis to be at his best in this game.
   
• Andre Russell: Andre Russell is looking fit and is bowling in the death overs for the Windies. Russell is the best all-rounder in T20 cricket and brings a lot of value with both bat and ball. He bowled an excellent last over against Bangladesh. Russell hasn't got enough chances with the bat and will look to perform as he’s known for whenever he gets the chance.
   
• Dwayne Bravo: DJ Bravo showed why he is one of the best death bowlers in T20 cricket. Bravo bowled really smartly and stopped the flow of runs putting pressure on the Bangladesh batters after bowling an expensive over. Bravo has picked 18 wickets for West Indies in T20is in 2021 which is the highest for them.

Sri Lanka

• Wanindu Hasaranga: Wanindu Hasaranaga has been phenomenal in the World T20 2021. He has 14 wickets in 7 games at an economy of 5.26. Wanindu picked 3 wickets in the last game and scored a quickfire 34 as well. He is performing really consistently and Sri Lanka will hope that he continues his good form.
   
• Charith Asalanka: Asalanka has got starts in almost all the games he has played. He has scored 163 runs in 5 games at an average of 40.75 striking at 140.51 which includes a brilliant half-century against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka will expect him to convert the starts and play a big knock in this game.
   
• Bhanuka Rajapaksa: Bhanuka Rajapaksa too like Asalanaka has got starts but has failed to convert them. He is a very aggressive batter and has scored 155 runs in 7 games at an average of 38.75 and a strike-rate of 143.51. His last four scores are 26, 0, 33*, and 56. Rajapaksa must convert these starts and score big runs in this game for Sri Lanka to win.

Dream11 Prediction

Top Captain Picks

• Wanindu Hasaranga
• Jason Holder
• Roston Chase
• DJ Bravo (Bowling First)
• Dushmantha Chameera (Bowling First)
• Charith Asalanka

Disclaimer:  These teams are based on the writer's understanding of the game and do not guarantee to win in fantasy cricket. Users are advised to create their own teams with the information provided.