cricket | Sri Lanka vs Namibia - Oct 15 | 04:00 UTC

**Mat** · October 16, 2022

Game info Sri Lanka vs Namibia

Sri Lanka faces Namibia in the first match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Sri Lanka vs Namibia is the First Round match as the teams seek entry into the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup. The Sri Lanka vs Namibia T20I match will be played at Kardinia Park in Geelong on October 16th. The match is scheduled to start at 04:00 UTC

This won't be the first time the two sides have faced each other in a major tournament. Namibia and Sri Lanka were in the same group at the last T20 World Cup, where they also played the opening match of the campaign against each other. The competition did not give Gerhard Erasmus and his men happy memories, as Sri Lanka completely outpaced them - Namibia were beaten by 96 and the Lankans chased the target with seven wickets and more than six overs to spare.

Namibia

Namibia put on a lively show in their remaining matches, beating Ireland and the Netherlands to qualify for the Super 12 and also beating Scotland at that stage. The team has grown in confidence and experience since then and it was visible when they put on a clinical show to beat Ireland in the friendly ahead of the mega event earlier this week. Namibia are expecting an even better match this time around and would like to start their journey with a win against the Lankans.

Rekindling the Home Cricket Fire As the game's popularity grows in schools across the country, there is certainly a fire burning in every player on the national team determined to go further than last year.

Like many other teams in Australia, the tournament features “the same but different” scenarios as the last campaign. They again open with a match against a Sri Lankan team before the first round, before turning their attention again to the Dutch for the second game, likely a decisive game.

The only difference is a third match not against Ireland, but against the other successful Qualifier A side: United Arab Emirates.

Aside from Craig Williams' retirement, most of the Australia team remains largely the same, with the addition of two hitters, Divan la Cock and Lohan Louwrens. La Cock, 19, slammed the door after showing his class in domestic and over-50 action, while Louwrens, a former U-19 World Cup captain, also takes the gloves in case Zane Green isn't in the XI.

The selection of the duo suggests a change of heart at the top of the order, with perhaps a criticism on the side last year being slow starts to Powerplay overs. The tactic of playing a safer game set the platform for Erasmus, David Wiese and JJ Smit's famous "Bomb Squad" in Round One, although playing it safely in field restriction overs does not continue the team's evolution.

Smit is the seventh all-rounder in the MRF Tires Player Rankings, though his exit with the ball remains uncertain, with a recurring knee injury plaguing his left arm.

Namibia has no shortage of left arm options on the ball, as 2021 has proven. Ruben Trumpelmann is the fastest, with Jan Frylinck, dubbed the street fighter by Bruyn's coach, working hard. Bernard Scholtz and his orthodox left arm should take advantage of the Geelong surface if short limits are to be avoided.

Expected game XIs
Divan la Cock, Michael van Lingen, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit, David Wiese, Ruben Trumpelmann, Zane Green (sem), Bernard Scholtz, Tangeni Lungameni

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are entering this tournament with a great reputation to protect, having emerged as the champions of Asia recently by defeating the likes of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh en route to the Asian Cup title.

That victory, which featured five straight wins, ended a worrying streak since the last T20 World Cup campaign. Sri Lanka had lost nine of their first 10 T20Is this year before completely turning things around with their Asian Cup triumph.

The Lankans also took their newfound form to Australia as they performed excellently in the friendly against Zimbabwe. Dasun Shanaka's team won the match by 33 runs, with players like Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga shooting with the bat. They will now try to take that momentum forward for the match against Namibia.

The Asian Cup triumph was the light at the end of the tunnel for Sri Lanka and could be the catalyst for their journey back to the top of the world cricket. With momentum on their side, the T20 World Cup arrives at the most opportune time for the Lions to prove that the Asian Cup was not just a one-time event.

Like last year, Sri Lanka once again find themselves on uncharted ground at the T20 World Cup – they will have to go through the trials and tribulations of the first round to reach the Super 12. They will want to replicate their performances from last year where they marked their authority to win three out of three in the first round.

Although they went through a difficult time in the Super 12, the experience of playing in the marquee event has already done a lot of good for the young people who have now established themselves on the international scene.

Expected game XIs
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (sem), Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka

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