Match Preview: West Indies vs Sri Lanka - Match 16

Match Preview: West Indies vs Sri Lanka - Match 16

Date: 16 November, 2018

Venue: Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St. Lucia

West Indies remain unbeaten in the tournament so far. They have registered wins against Bangladesh and South Africa. A win in this match will put the hosts and defending champions in prime position to qualify for the knockout stages. For their opponents Sri Lanka, who have lost to South Africa, won against Bangladesh and gained a point for their abandoned match against England, a loss here would mean the end of their WT20 campaign. The hosts are on a mission to entertain the crowd that comes out to support them and to retain the trophy on home soil. Can Sri Lanka cause them to stumble?

 

Players to Watch Out For

Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)

The West Indian captain delivered for her side with the ball in their match against South Africa, helping her team successfully defend 107. However, she has had low returns with the bat. With this match being a crucial clash, Taylor will need to lead from the front and give an all-round performance. Overall, West Indies' performance with the bat has been underwhelming and they need to change that soon if they are to do well further in the tournament. A captains knock from the skipper may be just what the side needs to turn their fortunes with the bat around.

Chamari Athapththu (Sri Lanka)

The Sri Lankan skipper fulfilled her duty with the ball against Bangladesh, recording career-best figures of 3/17. However, her struggles with the bat seem to continue. In her last match, she shifted herself further down the order, coming in at number four instead of opening. Being the aggressive batter that she is, Sri Lanka needs her to play her natural game in the Power Play and lay a good foundation for the rest of the innings. The change in position did not pay off as Athapththu was dismissed cheaply. But, she did hit two beautiful boundaries and seemed to have adjusted to the conditions. If that is the case, a big knock from her is around the corner and that's what her side requires of her.

 

Who Said What

"I was really surprised to see that crowd when I look back at CPL, there wasn't that amount of people. And to see that amount of people that came out to watch our game, it's just fantastic. And the girls were loving it." - Stafanie Taylor

"... next match against the West Indies. That is a very important match. But we don't have pressure. Just we play our normal game and positive cricket. This is one game for us. At the end of the day, we're not losing the last ball. That's the thing. But we plan to play our positive cricket and play our normal game. We trust ourselves. We trust our production. That's our target, and that's our goal."- Chamari Athapththu

 

Conditions: 

The pitch in St. Lucia looks to be a slow one. Due to rain, the outfield is damp and therefore slow as well. There does seem to something in it for the pacers, though. Batters will need to take their time and settle in before they accelerate.

 

Probable XI

West Indies: Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor (c), Shemaine Campbelle, Natasha McLean, Britney Cooper, Kycia Knight (wk), Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Shakera Selman, Shamilia Connell

Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Yashoda Mendis, Hasini Perera, Shashikala Siriwardena, Dilani Manodara (wk), Eshani Lokusooriyage, Oshadhi Ranasinghe, Inoshi Fernando, Sripali Weerakkody, Udeshika Prabodani, Sugandika Kumari