Match abandoned due to rain
Three more matches await us in Florida but things don't look promising for those either. Rain and thunderstorms are predicted week long in Florida. USA will host Ireland on Friday at this venue and it will be followed by India v Canada on 15th and Pakistan v Ireland on 16th. Let's hope the weather doesn't play spoilsport. You can switch tabs and catch all the action from the Australia v Namibia game. Until next time, goodbye and take care!
20:30 Local Time, 00:30 GMT, 06:00 IST: The incessant rains have had the final say and the match has been called off without toss. It was always on the cards and the rain has proved to be a dampener tonight. Both teams get a point each from this match. This washout will hurt Sri Lanka the most as their Super Eight qualification chances hang by a thread. The Islanders will need to win their final game against the Netherlands. But, their destiny is not in their hands as they would require Bangladesh to lose to both Nepal and Netherlands. When it comes to qualification scenario for Nepal, they will have to defeat both South Africa and Bangladesh and hope that Netherlands lose their next two matches. Tough road ahead for both these teams! With this washout, South Africa become the first team to qualify for the Super 8 stage.
20:00 local, 00:00 GMT, 05:30 IST: The rain has stopped a while ago which prompted the umpires to schedule an inspection in 30 minutes from now. Remember, the cut-off time for a 5 over per-side contest is 22:47 local.
19:10 local, 23:10 GMT, 04:40 IST: Live pictures show players moseying on the damp outfield as it continues to drizzle steadily. Groundstaff are trying their best to remove water on the covers, and we are hearing that it could take around 90 minutes to get the ground game-ready.
18:50 local, 22:50 GMT, 04:20 IST: Uh-oh! On expected lines, it's lashing out in Lauderhill Florida and we won't be starting on time. The toss has been delayed and quite unfortunately, the outfield seems to have taken plenty of water due to the incessant rain since morning.
18:35 local, 22:35 GMT, 04:05 IST: Hello and a very warm welcome to game 23 where Sri Lanka and Nepal would be hoping to open their account in the tournament. Sri Lanka lost both their games so far and a loss/no-result today could take them that much closer to the exit door. Nepal, on the other hand, lost their opening game to Netherlands and would be keen to turn things around today. The weather hasn't been great in Lauderhill, and that's not a great sign to kick-off the Florida leg. Let's hope we got a thriller of a contest in our hands...
Preview
The equation is pretty simple. Sri Lanka have to win both their games now in order to stay alive in the competition. Even that won't be enough if Bangladesh do not lose another game. That's the sort of territory Sri Lanka find themselves in after making a false start to the 2024 T20 World Cup. This is what two losses in two games can do to you in this competition. But first, the focus will be on the controllables.
Sri Lanka will have to make improvements in every department to fetch their first win. As we saw already against South Africa, the batting unit needs to fire. While the conditions were obviously not batting friendly, Sri Lanka struggled against Bangladesh as well. From 100/3 after 14 overs, they collapsed to post just 124.
Against Nepal, who are one of the weakest teams in the competition, Sri Lanka will look to rectify that. The bowling attack will feel confident though, against a batting line up that got shot out for 106. Their batters will find the going tough against the likes of Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara, pacers with slingy actions. Nothing is for granted in this tournament as we have seen already but some of these factors do point towards two points for Sri Lanka. The weather might play spoilsport though.
When: Sri Lanka vs Nepal, 11:30 PM GMT, 7:30 PM local, 5:00 AM IST (June 12)
Where: Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida
What to expect: Rain poses a huge threat to Sri Lanka's hopes of fetching their first win. In terms of conditions, this will be the first match at this venue in this year's World Cup. The last time a T20I was played here in August 2023, West Indies chased down 166 against India with ease.
Team Watch
Sri Lanka
Sadeera Samarawickrama could be in line for a recall in place of the misfiring Kamindu Mendis. Sri Lanka may have to reconsider their call to keep promoting Wanindu Hasaranga ahead of Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka.
Tactics & Matchups: Kushal Malla's strike-rate against leg spin since 2023 is 200. However, he has been dismissed against off spin five times in this period. Sri Lanka have the likes of Dhananjaya and Theekshana to take advantage. Pathirana and Thushara might pose a problem as well with the Nepal players not used to their bowling actions.
Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana
Nepal
Sandeep Lamichhane will continue to be unavailable for Nepal since the game is scheduled in the United States. He will join the squad only for the Caribbean leg of the tournament.
Probable XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Anil Sah, Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal
Did you know?
- This is the first T20 International between Sri Lanka and Nepal.
- Sri Lanka played two previous T20Is in Lauderhill in 2010 and Angelo Mathews is the only survivor from that series.
What they said
"If you see in this World Cup, you'll see that the associate team is beating Test playing countries. So, it is a motivation for all of us, especially moving forward to tomorrow's game. So as a team, we believe that we are going to win tomorrow and the way we have been preparing for the last couple of months and the way we have been playing cricket for the last one and a half years, I think the belief is always there in the team and we are looking forward to tomorrow's game." - Skipper Rohit Paudel wants Nepal to take inspiration from the results so far in the World Cup
Squads:
Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga(c), Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dilshan Madushanka
Nepal Squad: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh(w), Anil Sah, Rohit Paudel(c), Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sompal Kami, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Sagar Dhakal, Abinash Bohara, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sundeep Jora, Pratis GC, Kamal Singh Airee