T20 World Cup: West Indies aim to keep semis hope alive, face Sri Lanka

The West Indies will aim to keep their slim semi-finals hopes alive when they take on a troubled Sri Lanka in the ICC men’s T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi, on Thursday. The Kieron Pollard-led team, after two successive defeats, managed to revive their campaign with a three-run win over Bangladesh. For the two-time champions, reaching the semi-final could be a tough task but they are not out of the competition just yet.

They not only need to win their last two fixtures to stay in the mix for the semis but also require dominant victories to improve their net run rate, which is the worst in the group.

The victories will not only improve the West Indies’ chances but will also dent Australia’s chances of progressing. If South Africa loses against England, who are already through, then all three sides could finish on six points which will bring the net run rate into the equation.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka, who had won the title in 2014, slumped to their third consecutive defeat after a dominant victory in their campaign opener.

With just one match to go in their Super 12 campaign, Sri Lanka can finish on a maximum of four points which will not be enough to help them progress.

Teams (From)

Sri Lanka squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando.

West Indies squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Jason Holder, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

The West Indies vs Sri Lanka T20 World Cup match starts at 7.30 PM IST at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.