Match Preview: Sri Lanka faces Zimbabwe in WC opener

Inaugural match of the years’ most awaited tournament will kick off tomorrow in Hambantota, featuring the hosts Sri Lanka against the underdogs Zimbabwe. Jayawardene’s outfit is one of the favorites to win the title but the match is unlikely to be a stroll in the park for them as skipper Brendan Taylor’s team has recently upset South Africa to win the unofficial T20 tri series at home. This is proof enough to say that in T20s, crystal gazing does not work and fortune favors the best men on that particular day.

Akila Dananjaya

Sri Lanka is fresh from the domestic T20 league and has picked up a couple of promising colts from the tournament. Akila Dananjaya, a right arm spinner with an ability to bowl six different deliveries in an over has been picked along with Dilshan Munaweera who impressed with his hard hitting and more importantly, was the top scorer in the SLPL. Lanka’s batting order which includes Dilshan, Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Munaweera and Thirimanne is a good mix of experience and young talent. The two all-rounders, Angelo Mathews and Jeevan Mendis give Jayawardene more bowling options. Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara will lead the bowling and will be assisted by medium pacer Thisara Perera. As it is the first match, the wicket will be fresh, and instead of going with the spin trio which played in the practice game against the West Indies, SL would prefer to play tried and tested Rangana Herath for his consistent spin bowling and leave out either rusted Ajantha Mendis or rookie Dananjaya, who does not have much to back his inclusion but the contribution in SLPL. But he may use this match to let Mendis shake off the cobwebs and Dananjaya to get some international experience as Zimbabwe is not good at playing spin.

Having not played any international game since January, Zimbabwe may not be in the groove, though they have been practicing for T20 games back home from past two months. Confided, for the first time, with a triple role of skipper, batsman and a wicketkeeper, Brendan Taylor has a big task on hand. With not many players to rely upon, the top three batsmen – Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda and Brendan Taylor will be crucial if Zimabawe wants to put a respectable total on the board. Amongst the bowlers, fast-medium pacers Brian Vitori and Chris Mpofu along with the leg spinner Graeme Cremer will be Zimbabwe’s asset.

The pitches in Lanka have undergone a shift from spin friendly to pace friendly. Ball is likely to swing and a fair amount of wind will add to the movement. In the last T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka scored 173 against Zimbabwe & easily won the match abridged by D/L method, as the latter could only manage 29 out of 44 runs required from five overs. With a different venue and renewed enthusiasm, teams will fight again to ensure that they fare better than they did the last time.

Head to head stats:

Played – 2, SL won – 2, Zimbabwe won – 0

Players to look out for:

Lasith Malinga: His toe crushing yorkers, his accuracy and pace will be a great challenge for Zimbabwe and it would be interesting to see how quickly he rips off the Zimbabweans. With 40 wickets under his belt, he will be looking forward to increase the number with his stunning deliveries.

Tilakaratne Dilshan: Opener Dilshan is famous for his fierce batting that can demolish any attack and when it is Zimbabwe as opponents, the probability to do so increases. Career strike rate of 124.59, is enough to make his opponents wary of him.

Hamilton Masakadza: With a strike rate of 120.99, this right handed batsman will be the one on whom his skipper will rely the most. In the domestic T20s that he has played of late, he has not disappointed his team and this adds to his consistency.

Graeme Cremer: This leg-spinner is the best of all the bowlers Taylor has. With a strike rate of 14.5 and an economy of around 7.00, he will be crucial in putting breaks on SL’s formidable batting line-up.

Date: 18th September, 2012

Venue: Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

Starting time: 2:00 PM (GMT), 7:30 PM (IST)