Published: Nov 23, 2016, 11:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Nov 23, 2016, 09:33 PM (IST)
Good Afternoon, Goeie Middag, සුභ සන්ධ්යාවක්! Hello, and Welcome to CricketCountry’s live coverage of the fifth One-Day International (ODI) between Sri Lanka and West Indies, of the tri-nation series 2016, at the Harare Sports Club. We will be bringing to you all the live updates from this thrilling encounter. Sri Lanka will be looking to set things right for them after they lost against West Indies and their other match against hosts Zimbabwe was washed out by rains. West Indies have on the other hand shown inconsistent cricket as they first defeated Sri Lanka by 62 runs and then had a very unconvincing draw against Zimbabwe which at one point they were cruising for victory in.
Sri Lanka faces off against West Indies in match No. 5 of the Tri-Nation series at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo. The last time these two teams faced each other, West Indies won the match by 62 runs and moreover they also secured a bonus point which made them sit atop the points table. But the unexpected draw of West Indies against Zimbabwe turned the tables for the Caribbean’s. Moreover, the rain washed out contest between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka saw both teams earning two points each which has now put Sri Lanka at 7 points along with West Indies who also have the same number of points.
The only difference is that West Indies at present have 7 points with the Net Run Rate of +0.620 while Sri Lanka have the Net Run rate of +0.485. Today’s fixture will give a clear idea of which team would be progressing in the finals of the Tri-Nation series. Moreover, hosts Zimbabwe will also be having their eyes set on this clash as their future in the tournament depends a lot on the result of this match. If West Indies defeat Sri Lanka in this fixture and if Zimbabwe manages to defeat Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe marches into the finals of the tournament.
West Indies, on the other hand, would be looking to make things clear for them. They will definitely be looking to get a victory in this match which ensures them a place in the finals. Shai Hope’s form can prove very vital for the West Indian squad and even the player would be hoping to carry on with his form.
The Caribbean side will need a lot of improvements to be done in their middle order as they all collapsed drastically in the match against Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, looked sharp in their washed out match against Zimbabwe; especially the bowlers but that was about it because the match wasn’t played after 13 overs or so.
So with all this stats, the match promises to be a cracker one!
