Sports
Under pressure Sri Lanka need big win over UAE
Rex Clementine
in Geelong
We have just finished two days of the T-20 World Cup and have already seen two huge upsets. After three-time finalists Sri Lanka were humbled by Namibia, who won by 55 runs, in a Group ‘A’ game in Geelong, Scotland stunned two times champions West Indies with a 42-run win, in a Group ‘B’ fixture in Hobart.
Today Sri Lanka will take on UAE in Geelong under lights and prior to that Namibia and Netherlands will play at the same venue.
Sri Lanka’s Net Run Rate is -2.75 and not only do they need to win today but win big as well. A second win against the Netherlands on Thursday is good enough for Dasun Shanaka’s side to qualify without worrying about Net Run Rate, but rain is predicted for later this week and if the last game is a washout, teams can be tied on points and then it will come to the Net Run Rate in deciding which team will go through. That’s why Sri Lanka need to keep an eye on Net Run Rate.
Geelong has drop-in pitches and the one on which the curtain raiser of the competition was played proved to be two-paced. Sri Lanka’s batters tried some big shots but shot-making wasn’t easy on a wicket where the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat and their efforts turned out to be top edges.
Sri Lanka’s spinners fared better than the quicks as the eight overs of Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga went for only 50 runs while the 12 overs of pace went for 112 runs. While spin cost 6.25 runs an over, pace went for more than 9.3 runs.
Pace had been Sri Lanka’s weapon against associates during the first round in the last World Cup and Shanaka backed them in this edition as well. But that backfired and the captain didn’t have much of time to reassess and fall back to his part-time spinners. It didn’t help that Dushmantha Chameera returning to the side after injury bowled a poor second spell.
Lahiru Kumara comes into the equation for today’s game and it remains to be seen whom he will replace. If the extra pace is what Sri Lanka are looking for, it’s not a bad idea to bring him in for Chamika Karunaratne, but they are unlikely to go that path as they need Chamika’s batting at number eight. But if your top seven aren’t going to get you the runs, it doesn’t make any sense to expect number eight to bail you out.
There have been various readings about Sri Lanka’s predicament. While some have been quick to point out that the team had a similar campaign in the Asia Cup where they were humbled by Afghanistan before going on to win five straight games. Put under pressure, Sri Lanka brought their best out in UAE and they are having their back to the walls again here in Geelong after a pathetic display in front of 17,000 adoring fans who had driven down from Melbourne, Victoria’s main city which is one hour from the outskirt.
Some have argued that how Sri Lanka are better off in Group Two of the Super 12 stage which looks like an extended version of the Asia Cup with India, Pakistan and Bangladesh pooled alongside one of the qualifiers. Defending Champions Australia, last year’s losing finalists New Zealand and losing semi-finalists England are in Group One along with Afghanistan and possibly West Indies now. But that will be the last thing on Sri Lanka’s mind right now. They would just want to get two wins under their belts and go through.
Sunday’s defeat was Sri Lanka’s first loss to Namibia in any form of cricket. The moment they dismissed David Wiese, Namibia slipped to 93 for six in the 15th over and then they took the foot off the gas and then a 69-run stand followed for the seventh wicket between J.J. Smit and Jan Frylinck, who took the game away from Sri Lanka. It was Namibia’s first win against a team ranked among the top ten.
Sri Lanka’s total of 108 all out is their lowest against an Associate nation.
An ODI between Canada and Netherlamds in King City Toronto on Tuesday was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. The fixture was part of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 competition, which is part of the qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The match was abandoned just 4.1 overs into the Netherlands innings after they had chosen to bat. They were 15 for 1, with Max O’Dowd the batter dismissed for a duck in the second over. The pitch had uneven bounce and the batters were struck several times during the short passage of play.
On June 12, four days before the abandoned match, the ICC had issued a statement saying the pitch at King City that was used for an ODI between USA and the Netherlands on June 8 had been given an “unsatisfactory” rating and one demerit point.
“This was a pitch that fell below the standard expected for this level of cricket,” match referee Phil Thompson had said about the surface for the USA-Netherlands match. “Both captains expressed disappointment with how it turned out, and the match officials assessed it as ‘very poor’. The inconsistent bounce created challenging and potentially unsafe playing conditions. Taking all factors into consideration, I believe the pitch merits an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating.”
According to the ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process, pitches that get an “unsatisfactory” rating will be given one demerit point, while an “unfit” pitch rating will result in three demerit points for the venue. Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period, and an accumulation of six demerit points will result in the venue being suspended from hosting international matches for 12 months (12 demerit points will lead to a 24-month ban).
(Cricinfo)
Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo have earned recalls to West Indies’ squad for the two-match World Test Championship series at home against Sri Lanka starting later this month, while the two Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, are back after missing the tours of India and New Zealand late last year because of injuries.
Trevin Imalch had kept wicket when West Indies last played Test cricket, in New Zealand last December, but Da Silva, 33 Test matches old, has returned after scoring 996 runs across the last two seasons of the West Indies Championship. Imlach, who failed with the bat in New Zealand with a total of 81 runs across six innings – after scoring 33 runs in his only Test in India – has been named captain of a West Indies Select XI to play the Sri Lankans in a tour match in Coolidge from June 18 to 21. Roston Chase will continue to captain the Test side.
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Tests
Jangoo, dropped after only one Test appearance, in Multan in January 2025, where he scored 0 and 30, has returned to the side following a fruitful WI Championship in which he scored 411 runs in seven innings. He finished second on the scorers’ table there, only behind Da Silva, who scored 413 in seven outing. The highlight of Jangoo’s season was the 203 not out he scored for Trinidad & Tobago against Leeward Islands
The pair of Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, meanwhile, last played Test cricket during the home series against Australia in mid-2025.”Every Test series is an opportunity for us to grow as a team and strengthen our identity,” Darren Sammy, the head coach, said in a Cricket West Indies statement. “Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead.”For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”
Some of the squad members are currently participating in a high-performance training camp in Antigua, which began on June 12 and will run till June 22. The members of the Test squad who were also part of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka – West Indies lost the ODIs and won the T20Is – will join the camp on June 15. The Tests will be played in North Sound from June 25 to 29 and July 3 to 7.
“This is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent,” Sammy said about the camp. “It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan.
“Additionally, the four-day warm-up game prior to the series provides the chance for some of our Test hopefuls to play in high-intensity action and create the avenue for more competition within the squad ahead of the upcoming and future series.”
West Indies are currently bottom of the nine-team WTC table, having lost seven of their eight games in the ongoing cycle.
West Indies squad for Test series against Sri Lanka
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