Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe kicks off ICCWT20 today

By Fathima Zanaida

Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe: ICC World Twenty20 2012

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (TheSportsNext) September 18, 2012: Finally, the day has arrived when fourth edition of the ICC World Twenty20 (ICCWT20) is swinging into action at Hambantota with hosts Sri Lanka taking on a lowly side Zimbabwe.

The two teams have so far played each other twice in Twenty20 Internationals and on both occasions Sri Lankans enjoyed authority over the African cricket side.

The match will start at 19:30 Local Time (14:00 GMT) at Hambantota which is considered as not the ideal place for Twenty20 style of cricket as in the previous two Twenty20 International matches played here the captains chose to bat first after winning the toss and the average first innings total was only 127.

With the match to be played under lights, toss will prove a very important factor in the outcome of the match as the ball is expected to seam around later in the evening when the lights would take effect so it’s quite obvious that any captain winning the toss would love to bat first here.

It is important to mention here that Zimbabwe are facing their worst Twenty20 International streak as they have lost their last 10 T20 matches.

Apart from the team’s goals, Sri Lanka players have some personal milestones coming up in the Twenty20 cricket and the match against Zimbabwe could be just the perfect opportunity for someone like Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene to complete 1,000 T20 career runs. Mahela is just 19 runs away from his T20 career milestone.

Orthodox spinner, Ajantha Mendis is the leading Sri Lankan wicket-taker in the Twenty20 Internationals and is ranked fourth among the top wicket-takers in the T20I cricket as he has taken 40 wickets at an average of 11.12 and he would look to extend his tally.

Playing in Sri Lankan conditions is way too tough for the European, African, and Australian teams as already two New Zealand players Tim Southee and Rob Nicol are feeling the heat of Sri Lanka and fever and missed team’s practice on Tuesday. As the tournament will progress, we may see more of these players falling victim to the harsh weather conditions.

Sri Lankan squad for ICC World Twenty20 2012 includes Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (wicketkeeper), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shaminda Eranga, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Dilshan Munaweera, Akila Dananjaya, Thisara Perera, Kumar Sangakkara (wicketkeeper), and Lahiru Thirimanne.

Zimbabwe squad for the ICC World Twenty20 2012 includes Brenden Taylor (Captain and wicketkeeper), Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Kyle Jarvis, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Chris Mpofu, Forster Mutizwa, Richard Muzhange, Ray Price, Vusi Sibanda, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, and Malcolm Waller.