Sri Lanka may be the giant among the dwarfs in the qualifying round of the T20 World Cup which starts today in Australia, but the unpredictable Namibia has the capacity to upstage the pundits as the two protagonists lock horns today in the opening match of the first round.
Sri Lanka is in group A along with Namibia, the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands while the West Indies, Zimbabwe, Scotland and Ireland make up group B in the qualifying stage.
“It depends on the day. In T20 cricket we never know who will be good and when. I think the better teams come out on the day with a win,” said Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka.
“We are well focused on our batting. As it is the early summer, the conditions will be somewhat different, so we are really focusing on that. Apart from that, I think the bowlers are really shaping up. Chameera is back with us and so is Lahiru Kumara. So they are plus points coming from the Asia Cup”.
Sri Lanka have made eight appearances or played in all the T20 World Cups that have been held since 2007 winning the event in 2014 and entering the final in 2009 and 2012.
According to the experts Sri Lanka although fancied to top the group will have to be concerned about Namibia who are capable of causing an upset or two.
Namibia playing in their first ever T20 World Cup last October 2021 qualified for the second round and are being touted as one of the best up-and-coming teams in T20 cricket.
They enter the tournament basking in a 3-2 series win over Full Member Zimbabwe in May this year and are expected to qualify along with Sri Lanka as they also have games against UAE and the Netherlands.
“I guess this year is a bit different to last year. We could sort of ride on that underdog factor and go with it and there’s a bit more expectation perhaps this year to go one better,” said Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus.
“Our preparations have been really nice. So I guess we’ll try and stall the underdog tag for a little bit longer, but yeah, when the real stuff starts, you need to bring the high-level skill that the guys play at the World Cup if we can do that.”
Only two teams will go through to the final round from each of the two groups and join defending champs Australia, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have qualified making up the Super 12.
The 12 teams in the final round will be divided into two groups with six teams in each and the top two in the groups will play in the semi finals.
According to the experts there are no favourites to win the World Cup although Australia are the title holders and having the advantage of home conditions.
Should Sri Lanka qualify as group A champs they will play against Australia, England, Afghanistan, New Zealand and the runners-up in group B in the final round that is called the Super 12.
Should Sri Lanka qualify as group A runners up they will play against India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh and the group B winners.