Are you suggesting that there’s a chance? From so on, Sri Lanka will approach their quest to maintain their fading chances of qualifying for the T20 World Cup as Super 8s with that mindset.
The two losses in a row for the former world champions, to Bangladesh and South Africa, have put them squarely in must-win circumstances. Right now, only complete triumphs over Nepal and the Netherlands will do, and even then, Sri Lanka will want the support of at least one of those teams—ideally both—in order to defeat Bangladesh. Though it’s improbable, it’s a scenario that a whole country will be striving to come true.
The fact that drop-in pitches and the inherent volatility they bring are now firmly in the past will work to their advantage. In fact, Sri Lanka’s hitters have found it difficult to adjust to some of the undercooked surfaces available in New York and Dallas, and they will undoubtedly like the rarely used but somewhat more experienced tracks in Lauderhill.
In fact, having played both of their warm-up matches there, Sri Lanka will enter with a plethora of knowledge. In addition, they will have access to information from the India-West Indies series that was played there at the end of last year. It’s interesting to note that Sri Lanka was one of the first teams to play in Lauderhill back in 2010.
Since rain has been a Florida mainstay lately, their only real concern should be factors beyond their control as their tournament fate may rest with the weather gods. A washed-out match and the ensuing shared points will all but wipe out any remaining hopes of qualification.
For Nepal, moving on to the next round was always a pipe dream, especially after being placed in the notorious group of death. Because of their predicament, they could ill afford to lose their initial match against the Netherlands. As a result, they were left needing to defeat at least two of Bangladesh, South Africa, or Sri Lanka in order to have a chance at qualifying.
They now face an opponent they have never encountered before, and one with a bowling attack of the kind that is difficult to plan for even in the best of circumstances. Having said that, Sri Lanka is a team that struggles at the bat, and there is rarely a more perfect opportunity to pull off a historic upset on the grandest platform.