Sri Lanka vs. West Indies, 2nd T20: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
It's been a turbulent few days for West Indies cricket, with a crushing defeat, Sunil Narine's bowling action being reported and finally the team confirmed Phil Simmons had been reinstated as head coach.
Conversely, after winning both Tests, all three one-day internationals, and the opening clash of this two-game T20 series, Sri Lanka are on the verge of an emphatic whitewash over their visitors.
Let's take a look at how both sides are shaping up ahead of this intriguing contest.
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Date: Thursday, November 12, 2015
Time: 7 p.m. local (1:30 p.m. GMT)
Venue: Khettarama Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Live Stream and TV Info: Rupavahini Corporation (Sri Lanka), Ten Sports (India), Willow TV (subscription required)
Weather: Predictably hot according to the BBC's weather department, but, with a bit of luck, the tropical showers should have passed on by game time.
The story so far...
Since 2005, the West Indies have won just once in Sri Lanka against the hosts; the 2012 T20 World Cup final.
That surprising victory took place at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the same venue that Darren Sammy's men will be looking to salvage some pride from this disastrous tour on Thursday.
So far, eight games across all three formats have yielded just one win, that success coming in a 50-over contest against a Sri Lanka Board President's XI.
Last time out, a flat track at Pallekele produced exactly 400 runs in a high-scoring T20 with Sri Lanka coming out on top by the comfortable margin of 30 runs.
The hosts' total of 215 was built around solid contributions from each of their top four before Angelo Mathews' brutal 13-ball 37 pushed the score into the stratosphere.
In response, despite Andre Fletcher's aggressive 25-ball 57, the testing double-figure run rate proved too much for the Caribbean Islanders with Sachithra Senanayake collecting four wickets.
With 22 sixes in total, some stump-shattering pace bowling and a wide variety of slow bowlers being unleashed, all the facets that make T20 cricket so popular were on show.
Let's hope for a repeat in Colombo.
Can Sri Lanka clinch the deal?
They can if their straightforward game plan works as perfectly as it did in the opener.
Namely, win the toss, bat big, take wickets with the new ball and then strangle the life out of the opposition's batsmen with their spinners.
In theory, Sri Lanka are still rebuilding from the relatively recent retirements of legendary duo, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
However, things are progressing nicely.
A balanced batting lineup mixes old heads—see Angelo Mathews and Tillakaratne Dilshan—with improving talent such Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Perera.
While a never-ending conveyor belt of spinners—they used three different twirlers at Pallekele—backed up by the testing pace of Lasith Malinga means they remain an intimidating prospect in white-ball cricket, especially at home.
What do the Windies need to do?
Chris Gayle may be absent, but with the likes of Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine on the field, there is plenty of ability and experience in the maroon-clad side.
But, to state the obvious, with only Narine managing to stem the flow of runs (four overs for 20 runs) they need to bowl a lot better this time.
Early wickets could be key, perhaps signalling the return of Ravi Rampaul's accuracy in place of either Jason Holder or Jerome Taylor who combined for five wicketless overs costing 61 runs.
This would enable Narine and Devendra Bishoo more time to exert pressure of their own and rein in the rampant Sri Lankan batsmen.
If they manage to do this, every member of the West Indies top seven is capable of clearing the ropes and then some.
T20 International form (latest left-to-right)
Sri Lanka: WLLWW
West Indies: LLWWW
Squads
Sri Lanka
Lasith Malinga (c), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera (wk), Shehan Jayasuriya, Angelo Mathews, Milinda Siriwardana, Chamara Kapugedera, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kithuruwan Vithanage, Duhmantha Chameera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Sachithra Senanayake, Jeffrey Vandersay, Binura Fernando, Thisara Perera.
West Indies
Darren Sammy (c), Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Dinesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor.
Key Players
Sri Lanka
With 470 international appearances and 16,000 runs in the bank, Tillakaratne Dilshan is by far the most experienced player in the Sri Lankan team. But, as per his 30-ball half century at Pallekele, his wide range of strokes and ability to hit the ball in strange areas remains undiminished.
West Indies
Sunil Narine was reported for using a suspect action during the recent ODI at Pallekele. However, the ICC's second-highest ranked T20 bowler can continue to bowl until he's tested. As evidenced by his miserly four-over spell in Colombo, the off-spinner is the crucial cog in the Windies bowling armoury.
Who Will Win?
T20 games can be won or lost on the bounce of a ball so, while Sri Lanka are a formidable opponent on home soil, surely the West Indies are going to edge one sooner or later. Aren't they?
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