Date: 16 October 2022
Time: 9:30 AM IST
Venue: Simonds Stadium, Geelong
Ball-by-ball commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview:
The 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia is finally starting with Sri Lanka and Namibia playing the opening game at the Simonds Stadium in Geelong. The marquee tournament is set to kick off with the First Round where eight teams will lock horns for the final four spots in the Super 12s. Going back to the fixture, Sri Lanka and Namibia have played each other once in the First-Round match of the 2021 T20 World Cup where the Lankans took the win.
Pitch Report:
The pitch at the Simonds Stadium is set to be flat where the batters enjoy the bounce of the ball. The average T20 score on the ground has been 160, hence the par score here could be between 165-170.
Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan team enter the World Cup after winning the Asia Cup over top teams like India and Pakistan. The Lankans have built an incredible squad in all the departments. Their bowling is led by the spin duo of Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga with a quality variety of fast bowlers. In the batting order, the Island nation has Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Pathum Nissanka who have also been doing the job.
SportsTiger Playing XI
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka
Namibia
The Namibian team were a surprise package in the last edition of the tournament. They defeated Ireland in their warm-up game by 11 runs. They pushed through to enter the Super 12 in the last year’s T20 World Cup where they finished 5th in Group 2 standings with one victory. JJ Smit and David Wiese are the key players in the line-up.
SportsTiger Playing XI
Stephan Baard, Michael van Lingen, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Merwe Erasmus (c), David Wiese, Zane Green (wk), JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Pikky Ya France, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo
Match Prediction:
Conclusion:
Sri Lanka is looking like the favourites to take the victory against Namibia as they have a more well-rounded team with star players in each department.
Disclaimer: The fantasy tips and facts expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. They do not reflect the views of SportsTiger. It is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.