T20 World Cup, SL vs UAE: Preview, stats, Fantasy XI
Sri Lanka will eye redemption as they take on United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Notably, Namibia stunned the Lankans in the tournament opener. Although UAE also lost their opening game by three wickets against the Netherlands, they fought valiantly while defending a paltry 111. Here is the preview of the upcoming duel.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The Simonds Stadium in Geelong will host this match on Tuesday. The venue has hosted three T20Is so far, with the average first-innings score reading 149. Chasing teams have won twice at this ground as the track provides substantial assistance to both pacers and spinners. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (1:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Hotstar app.
A look at the head-to-head record
The two teams have met just once in T20Is so far, way back in February 2016. It was a low-scoring thriller that saw Sri Lanka record a 14-run win. UAE did exceptionally well to restrict the Lankan side to 129/8 in the first innings. However, some brilliant bowling from Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga meant UAE fell short in their chase.
Sri Lanka looking to open their account
Stakes are incredibly high in the upcoming game as the losing team might get knocked out of the Super-12 race. Sri Lanka, the reigning Asia Cup winners, will certainly head into the game as favorites. However, their batters need to step up as Dasun Shanaka's men got bundled out for 108 against Namibia. Meanwhile, UAE must focus on the positives from their last outing.
A look at the Probable XI of both sides
Sri Lanka (Probable XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana. UAE (Probable XI): Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind (wk), Chundangapoyil Rizwan (c), Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Aayan Afzal Khan, Kashif Daud, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Zahoor Khan.
Who are the key performers?
With 302 runs in 12 games, Pathum Nissanka is SL's leading run-getter in T20Is this year. Wanindu Hasaranga will hold the key in the bowling department, having taken 20 wickets in 12 T20Is in 2022. Junaid Siddique recorded figures of 3/24 against Netherlands, the best for a UAE bowler in T20 World Cups. Muhammad Waseem scored a valiant 47-ball 41 against the Dutch side.
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Kusal Mendis (vc), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chirag Suri, Pathum Nissanka, Muhammad Waseem, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Basil Hameed, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Junaid Siddique. Fantasy XI (Option 2): Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, Chirag Suri, Pathum Nissanka (c), Muhammad Waseem, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Basil Hameed, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Junaid Siddique (vc).
