Picture Credit: Twitter
Match Details
Date: October 18, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Live Ball-by-ball Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview: The fourth match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at Abu Dhabi on Monday will be staged between Sri Lanka and Namibia. Although it is no less than a shame that one-time champions Sri Lanka are having to compete for a place in the Super 12 stage but their form in the turmoil in their cricket board has perhaps led them to this situation. While it would be a great stage for the island country to put up a fighting show and earn some respect and pride, it is an occasion for Namibia too to show their gradual progression and beat a side like Sri Lanka.
Here is an attempt at reading which team might have an advantage based on the given factors:
Head to head record:
The head-to-head record between the two countries is a clean state implying that Sri Lanka and Namibia haven't yet played a game against each other.
Recent form:
While Sri Lanka may not be as strong as they were in the past, they showed that they still have the class and quality that comes with a Test-playing country. In the warm-up fixtures, Sri Lanka registered wins in both their matches- against Bangladesh by 4 wickets and against Papua New Guinea by 37 runs. Not long ago they registered a T20I series win against India which shows that they have the talent within their team but it is only a matter of performing at the big stage and showing consistency. They have lifted the trophy before which should act as a boost to their confidence.
For Namibia, they were on the losing side in both their warm-up fixtures against Oman and Scotland. While they have won matches in the recent past against teams like Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Uganda, and UAE before heading into the world tournament, a contest against an experienced team like Sri Lanka will be a different ball game.
ICC Rankings:
Sri Lanka find themselves in the top 10 of the ICC T20I Team Rankings and are at 10th place with 229 rating points. In contrast, Namibia have 163 rating points and are ranked 19 in these rankings- numbers enough to show the gulf between the two teams.
Thus, Sri Lanka start as favourites in this fixture and a contrary result will be nothing less than a massive upset.