Sri Lanka will take on Nepal in a must win encounter in match 23 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 on Tuesday (Wednesday IST) in Lauderhill, Florida. (Preview | More Cricket News)
After losing their first two matches, first to South Africa and then to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka are in a tricky situation. Another loss and they will be knocked out of the tournament. Even sharing of points against Nepal would be detrimental to their chances of advancing to the Super 8s.
Nepal have played just a single match in this tournament so far and showed good fight before going down to Netherlands. They encounter Sri Lanka and then two more Test playing nations Bangladesh and South Africa. Their chances of advancing to the next round are minimal but they will try to show their calibre before leaving.
As Sri Lanka face Nepal with the threat of elimination looming over their head, check out the three key battles that will decide the fate of the match.
Kushal Malla vs Wanindu Hasaranga
Kushal Malla is a strong player of leg spin. His strike rate against leg spinners since last year is 200. Playing in the middle order, Malla will be expected to counter the spin threat of Hasaranga.
The Sri Lankan skipper has shown that his attacking bowling can also be taken for runs. Will Hasaranga be able to shake off his poor form and damage the Nepalese batting lineup? Interesting battle awaits.
Rohit Paudel vs Matheesha Pathirana
Rohit Paudel, the Nepal skipper, is also the best batter in the team. Matheesha Pathirana is Sri Lanka's best T20 bowler.
Paudel likes to take his time and then go for the big shots. If he reaches past the 10-over mark, the Nepal skipper will definitely meet Pathirana whose yorkers are the talk of the cricket world.
Who will come out on top when the best of both these teams clash? This will have a huge impact on the game.
Kusal Mendis vs Sompal Kami
Sompal Kami featured in Nepal's debut at the T20 World Cup in 2014 and has been a crucial part of their side. A medium pacer, Kami showed his skills with a wicket off his second ball in Nepal's opening game against Netherlands.
Kusal Mendis is Sri Lanka's best bet to tear apart bowling lineups in the powerplay. Even though he has struggled at it in recent times, his potential can not be doubted.
Will Mendis give his team a quick start of will Kami provide Nepal with an early breakthrough? An interesting battle is on cards.
