Sri Lanka and Namibia will square off in the first match of Round 1 in T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday, October 16 at Geelong.
SL vs NAM: Match Preview:
Sri Lanka will contest against Namibia in the opening game of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, on Sunday, October 16.
Both teams won their worm-up matches with ease. Aisa Cup champion Sri Lanka, who were not able to spot a place in Super 12 teams and has to contest in the Qualifying round.
In the warm-up match against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka batted first and scored 188/5, where all the batters got runs in double digits but Kusal Mendis proved to be the better batsman after he scored a deserving fifty.
Mendis in his 29-ball 54 run knock, tossed 6 fours and 3 sixes. Hasaranga supported Kusal with his quicker 37 runs off 14 balls.
While coming to defend a good total, Sri Lankan bowlers Chamika Karunaratne and Maheesh Theekshana got two wickets each.
Namibia, on the other hand, surprised Ireland in a low-scoring match, where the team bowled out the Irish side to 127 and win the game by 11 runs.
Namibia's bowler Ben Shikongo's three wickets in the 16th over totally changed the momentum of the game which was going Ireland's way lunged towards the Namibian side.
David Wiese, Ruben Trumpelmann, and Jan Frylinck were the other bowlers who got two wickets each in their favor.
Earlier in the first inning, Namibia batted first and was restricted to 138/4, where skipper Gerard Erasmus (34) was the top scorer.
When the two teams will clash on Sunday, they will look to get a winning start to the major T20 tournament.
For Sri Lanka, eyes will be on Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa in batting. In Bowling, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Chamika Karunaratne will be the key players.
Whereas, the Namibian side gives a tough fight to the Lankans, players to watch out for the team will be Gerard Erasmus, Stephen Baard in batting, and Bernard Scholtz, JJ Smit, and David Wiese with the bowl.
SL vs NAM: Match Details
- Date – Sunday, October 16, 2022
- Time – 09:30 AM IST
- Venue – Kardinia Park, Geelong
Match Prediction: Today's Match Prediction? SL vs NAM
Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka will start as the favourites in the game against Namibia.
SL vs NAM Head-to-Head:
Sri Lanka has faced Namibia once in T20Is where the Lankan team came up victorious.
SL vs NAM: Where to Watch?
The Sri Lanka-Namibia match will be get broadcasted on the Star Sports network on TV, and Hotstar for Indian viewers.
SL vs NAM Team News:
There is no update on any player getting injured.
SL vs NAM Probable Playing XI:
- Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (w), Pathum Nissanka, Bhanuka Rajapasksa, Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Chameera, Madhushan
- Namibia: Stephan Baard, Lohandre Louwrens, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Divan la Cook, JJ Smit, David Wiese, Zane Green (w), Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Michael van Lingen, Ben Shikongo
Also Read: T20 WC Schedule & squads 2022
SL vs NAM Fantasy XI:
- Wicket-keeper – Kusal Mendis
- Batters – Pathum Nissanka, Gerhard Erasmus, Stephan Baard, Bhanuka Rajapasksa
- All-rounders – JJ Smit, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga
- Bowlers – David Wiese, Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera