T20 World Cup 2022: Group A, Match 1 -Sri Lanka VS Namibia - Match predictions and tips

Sri Lanka, 2022 Asia Cup champions, face Namibia in Group A of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday (16th October)

This is a qualifying round in which the best two teams from Group A and Group B will advance directly to the Super 12.

Sri Lanka is no longer the underdogs, having made a massive transformation in the shortest format in the last six months. Coach Chris Silverwood played a crucial role in this success. Seemers Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara, who missed the Asia Cup due to injury, are back for the big event.

On the other hand, Namibia played their last T20I match in May and won the series 3-2 against Zimbabwe. Their preparations for this mega event have gone well as they beat Ireland by 11 runs in the warm-up match, while the other game against Zimbabwe was abandoned due to rain. 

They qualified for the Super 12 in last year's T20 World Cup, finishing 5th in Group 2 with a single win. 

Sri Lanka Players to watch:

1. Bhanuka Rajapaksa claimed victory in the tense Asia Cup final against Pakistan. He scored an unbeaten 71* runs at a batting average of 157.77. He finished the tournament as the 4th leading run scorer with 191 runs in 6 matches.

2. Wanindu Hasaranga was named player of the tournament in Asia Cup 2022 for his stunning performances. In 6 matches, he took nine wickets at an economy of 7.39 and scored 66 runs.

Namibia Players to watch:

1. Merwe-Gerhard Erasmus has good numbers in the shortest format. In his 38 T20Is, he has scored 927 runs at an average of 34.33 and picked 19 wickets at an economy of 5.44.

2. JJ Smit: He is bowling All rounder with 31 wickets in 26 T20 matches. He is the pick of the bowler for Namibia.

Match Prediction

Undoubtedly, Sri Lanka is predicted to win as they are a Strong team compared to Namibia.

Top Picks

Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Wanindu Hasaranga 

Merwe-Gerhard Erasmus

JJ Smit

Pitch Report

The GMHBA stadium has hosted only T20I matches, though many domestic games have also been played here. It is a balanced ground where the batters will have a slight advantage over the bowlers. Anything above 160 is a good score here.

Team Squad:

Sri Lanka(Predicted): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka

Namibia (Predicted): Stephan Baard, Michael van Lingen, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Merwe Erasmus (c), David Wiese, Zane Green (wk), JJ Smit, Ruben Trumplemann, Pikky Ya France, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo