The common thing about Sri Lanka, West Indies, and the T20 format is that you think you know them based on the patterns they follow until they do exactly the opposite of those. The previous T20I game in Dambulla was the perfect example of this. West Indies, whose openers have been Brandon King and Evin Lewis have been breathing fire in T20 of late, suddenly decided to exhibit a collapse for ages. Not only them, the batting order as a whole became toothless, just 48 hours after they chased 180 at the loss of only five wickets.
Sri Lanka took a backflip too but, much to their fans’ pleasure, in a good way. Especially with the ball as they bundled the visitors out for just 89 runs. Even though the track did offer turn to the hosts’ spin-heavy attack, it was a mixture of skill, sheer self-confidence, and the mercurial nature of T20 that brought the Sri Lankans back into contention for the series.
With Dambulla turning essentially into a rank-turner, the series decider will be an interesting one to watch.
Team Overview:
What do they say? Hindsight is 20/20. Pathum Nissanka’s pedestrian half-century did not look as glamorous during Sri Lanka’s inning. It was the sort of knock that often opens the discussions about the cons of inducting anchors in a T20 team. However, it became clear soon that Nissanka did well to prioritize runs over a fancy-looking strike rate. Dunith Wellalage, Charith Asalanka (yes, you read that right), and Maheesh Theekshana further made sure that their teammate did not get lambasted for playing a slow inning. The SL spinners shared nine wickets among them, making life difficult for West Indies.
West Indies could not read the conditions right. On a pitch that made the ball turn miles, they fielded only two spinners, Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase. Losing their openers was the second setback they had to face. In the first T20I as well, King and Lewis were the main contributors, scoring 113 out of the 180 team total. However the pitch behaved, it exposed the team’s tendency to over-rely on the top two.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Both teams share an almost equal head-to-head record. In 17 T20I games played between both teams, Sri Lanka came out as the triumphant in 9, while West Indies held their nerves in 8.
Weather and Pitch Report:
It must have been duly noted by both teams what the surface holds for spinners. Pacers might only be relevant until the ball is new, and thats when batters would like to fancy their chances as well. However, once the powerplay is over things will start shifting more in the favour of bowling teams. Toss-winning captain should look to bat first to extract as much as they can early on. Rain will stay away from Dambulla, making the conditions more spin-friendly.
Prediction:
It’s hard to say who can win the third T20I game as well as the series. T20 is an unpredictable format and so are both of these teams. However, Sri Lanka did look much more in command during the second T20I than West Indies were in the first T20I that they won. In addition to that, Dambulla’s turning wicket will suit the side with more spin forte, which is, Sri Lanka.
Where to Watch:
You can watch the 3rd T20I game between Sri Lanka and West Indies by tuning in to the following:
Sri Lanka: Supreme TV, Ten Cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket’s YouTube channel (Live streaming)
West Indies: Rush
Pakistan: Ten Sports
India: FanCode App, Sony LIV
Bangladesh: T Sports
Middle East, North Africa, and South East Asia: Cricbuzz
Sub-Saharan Africa: SuperSport
