Team news, likely XIs, form guide, players to watch, odds, TV and streaming information, weather forecast, umpire appointments and everything else you need to know
Sri Lanka take on Ireland in the preliminary round of the T20 World Cup.
The game is scheduled for 6pm local time (3pm BST) on Wednesday, October 20, 2021.
The game will be held at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium: Ground guide
Both teams won their opening encounters convincingly: Sri Lanka outclassed Namibia and Ireland overcame the Netherlands, with the bowling attacks of the two full-member nations coming to the fore.
Theirs is a competitive group, though; Namibia and the Netherlands are both far better sides than what they displayed in the opener. So, this game takes on an extra importance, with even the winners by no means certain to qualify, even if the net run rates of both countries were helped by the comprehensive nature of their first results.
Sri Lanka are the favourites to win this match, with Dafabet offering odds of 4/11. Ireland are available at 21/10.
So often known for their spinners, Sri Lanka have two more at theis disposal with the skillset to cause plenty of problems for players facing them for the first time. Wanindu Hasaranga is the second-ranked T20I bowler in the world, according to the ICC's metrics, while Maheesh Theekshana flicks his off spin out of the front of his hand in the same manner that made Ajantha Mendis so threatening.
But against Namibia, it was Sri Lanka's seamers who did much of the damage, with Dushmantha Chameera twice hitting batters on the helmet, while Lahiru Kumara was also rapid on occasion.
For Ireland, the opening pair of Paul Stirling and Kevin O'Brien are obvious threats: O'Brien has reinvented himself at the top of the T20I order in his advancing years, while Stirling is among the leading openers in global white-ball cricket. With the ball, it is difficult to look past Curtis Campher, who claimed four wickets in four balls against the Netherlands, even if those figures were somewhat flattering in the circumstances.
Sri Lanka opted for Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka at the top of the order in their opener, with Dinesh Chandimal at No.3. None of them came off, with Chandimal's place perhaps the most threatened; he averages just 20.08 through 60 appearances.
The following umpires and match referees have been named by the ICC to officiate in the T20 World Cup 2021:
Referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Javagal Srinath
Umpires: Chris Brown, Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Rod Tucker, Joel Wilson, Paul Wilson
The following officials have been allocated to this fixture:
On-field umpires: Menon, P Wilson
TV umpire: Gough
Fourth umpire: Rusere
Referee: Srinath
Full T20 World Cup officials appointments: Click here
Temperatures are forecast to hover around 30 degrees Celsius in Abu Dhabi.
Follow the Met Office forecast here.
Yes, though Covid protocols including the wearing of face masks will be in place.
Click here to visit the ICC's ticketing site.
Despite their poor form coming into the tournament, Sri Lanka were excellent against Namibia and they will be confident of overcoming Ireland, even though they started equally well.
T20 WORLD CUP TEAM GUIDES
Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Talk Talk 404, BT TV 423, Virgin 504) will broadcast the series in the United Kingdom, with the content available online via its streaming platform Sky Go.
BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra will have live ball-by-ball radio commentary of all tournament matches, accessible through the BBC Sport website, BBC Sounds or DAB radio.
The Star Sports network is showing the tournament in India. Matches can be streamed via Disney+ Hotstar
Other broadcasters by territory:
Australia - Fox Sports, Channel 9, Kayo Sports
New Zealand – Sky Sport New Zealand
Pakistan - PTV Sports, Ten Sports
Bangladesh - Ghazi Tv (GTV)
Sri Lanka – SLRC (Channel Eye)
South Africa – SuperSport
Caribbean – ESPN
Middle East and North Africa – eLife TV, StarzPlay, Switch TV
USA – ESPN+
Singapore - Star Cricket, Star Hub and Singtel
Malaysia - Fox International Channels
Hong Kong - Star Cricket
Ireland: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando
Ireland: Paul Stirling, Kevin O'Brien, Andy Balbirnie, Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, Harry Tector, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Josh Little, Ben White
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara
T20 World Cup Hub: News, features, stats, live scores
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