A CLOSE EYE ON THE WT20 SEMI-FINALISTS

SEMI-FINAL 1: WEST INDIES vs. SRI LANKA

The road to the semifinals, for both these teams has been a really Topsy turvy one. They managed to uproot and eliminate the top sides in their respective groups and thereby, reaping the benefits by entering the semifinals. The stage is all set at Dhaka for a gripping battle between the finalists of World T20 2012, where West Indies managed to rob Sri Lanka of the much coveted title. Memories of that match would still be fresh in the minds of both the teams, though, Sri Lanka would most definitely want the result to go in their favor this time around by starting afresh and proving a point to their critics. Predicting the winner of this contest is not a layman’s piece of cake, so here are some dynamics of the two teams, to help you decide for yourself:-

West Indies

Strengths:

 Starting from the top, if a team has C. Gayle and DR. Smith at its disposal in the opening slot, be rest assured the morale of the opposition teams bowlers is automatically deflated. If that is not enough, WI possesses two of the cleanest hitters of the bowl in DJ. Bravo and D. Sammy. On the bowling front, S. Badree and S. Narine dominate the bowling attack with Santokie making a difference with his penetrative approach.

Weaknesses:

 Consistency in the opening order has been a source of concern for the team, with M. Samuels not holding on to the dependable position of No.3, thus, putting a lot of pressure on the lower middle-order. On the bowling front, WI lack the pace bowling sting in their armory, which is more often than not is the most exploited area by the opposition batsmen, inclusion of R. Rampaul in place of A. Russell might be an option.

Sri Lanka

Strengths:

The team has been in Bangladesh since January, giving them an added advantage in relation to coping up with the nature of the pitches and the all-important dew factor, which is playing havoc on the results in the tournament so far. Also, the form of R. Herath and L. Malinga are an opposition’s nightmare. Defending a mere 119 against the Kiwis would have been the optimum amount of boost needed by them when they compete on the big stage.

Weaknesses: 

Captaincy choices have been a real concern for the team as D. Chandimal hasn't proved his worth by any stretch of imagination- low on form plus suspension for a match due to low over-rate, have not helped his cause. Another low point being the inconsistency of stalwarts like K. Sangakkara and T. Dilshan has let them down on many instances.

Anmol Juneja

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