Getty Dasun Shanaka should lead Sri Lanka to an opening win at the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka should be heavy favorites to get off to a winning start against Namibia at the 2022 T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup. The Lions are a more well-rounded team thanks to key talent in both areas.
At the wicket, Dasun Shanaka can slog to the boundaries with the best batters at the tournament. Meanwhile, Maheesh Theekshana’s off-break deliveries could prove a nightmare on the surfaces in Australia.
Namibia’s bid to return to the Super 12s for the second World Cup running, will rely on another big day in front of the stumps from gifted all-rounder Gerhard Erasmus.
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In the United States, the match (midnight ET start time) isn’t on TV, but anyone in the US can watch Sri Lanka vs Namibia live on ESPN+ right here:
With ESPN+, you’ll be able to stream every single match of the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup. It also includes dozens of different live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) all for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year (or $13.99 per month for a bundle of all three of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch Sri Lanka vs Namibia live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com.
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Sri Lanka vs Namibia Preview
Sri Lanka owns the psychological advantage, having beaten Namibia by seven wickets when the two teams met at the 2021 World Cup. Theekshana was the hero, claiming three of those wickets from four overs, per ESPN Cricinfo. The Theekshana spin will again be a problem for Namibia at the Geelong Cricket Ground in Victoria.
Australian cricket coach David Hussey told ESPN’s Andrew McGlashan and S Rajesh the Geelong is “unusual because it’s a drop-in pitch and sometimes they are batter-friendly and sometimes they’re not. Generally it’s on the slower side. It’s an odd-shaped ground and a lot of wide yorkers are bowled there to make the batter hit to the longer side of the ground.”
Erasmus will fancy his chances of catching the right deliveries on the surface thanks to his prodigious track record in this format. The 27-year-old has amassed 927 runs in T20 internationals, including 53 not out when Namibia upset Ireland last year.
If Erasmus and David Wiese, who can be as prolific as his captain on his day, get a knock going early, Sri Lanka will fear a similar upset. Then it will be up to Shanaka to pull off another spectacular late show, like he did in historic fashion against Australia back in June, per CricBeat:
17th Over – 2 runs
18th Over – 21 runs
19th Over – 12 runs
20th Over – 15 runs
Dasun Shanaka ~ 1st player to Score 50 runs in Deathovers of a T20I Chase
Shanaka may not need to be so active in late overs this time. Not when Theekshana and a deep bowling attack, also featuring the right arm of Wanindu Hasaranga, has enough talent to render the strength of Namibia moot long before then.
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