The second match of the double header in the T20 World Cup 2021 on Thursday comes from Abu Dhabi where West Indies will look to keep their campaign alive when they take on Sri Lanka in Super 12 Group 1.
This is the final match of the tournament for Sri Lanka and they know that whatever happens here they will be going home after this one but if West Indies can find a couple of big wins from their last two games their title defence could yet still make the knockout phase.
West Indies
The title defence of West Indies certainly hasn’t gone to plan. They were well beaten in their opening two matches without offering too much to encourage them for the remainder of the event, however they kept their title chances alive in their last game when they edged out Bangladesh in another match where it has to be said they were anything but convincing. They had to win the match to stay alive though and they did that so we shouldn’t be too critical.
We haven’t seen much at all from this West Indies side from a batting standpoint. Had it not been for a cameo from Nicholas Pooran in the previous game they would have offered very little with the bat and if they are not only going to win their last two matches but do the required business to their net run rate they will need to step up with that. In the main they haven’t looked too bad with the ball but they won’t be able to qualify off the back of their bowlers alone anymore.
Sri Lanka
When this match is done and Sri Lanka look back on their tournament they might reflect on what might have been. They won their opening four matches in the competition if you include the first round stage as well and were looking like a side who might kick on and cause a major upset but they have lost three in a row since then. They were on top in all three of those matches but couldn’t quite maintain their form for long enough to get over the line.
Sri Lanka couldn’t finish off their batting innings against Australia and then against South Africa and England they were round the park at the death and paid the price for that. In all three games they were more than competitive so if they can finish both innings off well in this match there is no reason why they can’t leave the tournament with a win and give this exciting young side something to build from heading to Australia for the next one of these next year.
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Key Men
Given how they played spin against Sri Lanka earlier in the year and already in this tournament you would have to think West Indies need to exploit the seam bowling in the powerplay so Evin Lewis is going to be a key man for the reigning champions.
A number of stars have shown themselves on the big stage for Sri Lanka in this tournament but you sense if they are going to win this match then Wanindu Hasaranga will have had a decent outing, certainly with the ball but possibly with the bat also.
Betting
I could easily make the case for Sri Lanka to win this match and there would ordinarily be value in them doing so but with the dew likely to have a major say in the contest there wouldn’t be much point in me staking their claims until we know for sure that they are bowling first. The last thing I want is to be on a value bet which falls apart because their bowlers can’t grip the ball at the end of the innings, a stage where they have struggled in the latter part of this tournament anyway.
If Sri Lanka are to win this match, whether they bat first or second, then you would imagine Wanindu Hasaranga will have had a big say on the contest. These two teams competed in a three Amatch series in the Caribbean in the summer where the leg spinner took eight wickets, three in the first game, three in the second and two in the last. He also made double figures in the two innings that he had at the crease. We’ve seen in this tournament that he is a fielding threat as well and we’ve also seen that West Indies are next to useless against quality spin. Adil Rashid took four for two in the first match against them while Keshav Maharaj took 2-24. It wasn’t much better against the Bangladesh spinners either so I fully expect Hasaranga to cover a 36.5pt performance line whether that is with bat, ball or a combination of the two.
Tips
Back W.Hasaranga’s Performance – Over 36.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Betway
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