For all practical purposes, this is a contest between two teams playing for pride. Ireland have already been eliminated following defeats to Scotland, England and New Zealand, while Sri Lanka are clinging to slim qualification hopes after their five-wicket loss to West Indies. With only two games left, Chamari Athapaththu's side must win both and hope several other results go their way to keep their campaign alive, reports Cricbuzz.
The disappointment of the West Indies defeat was evident in Athapaththu's emotional post-match remarks, with the Sri Lanka captain describing it as "sadness beyond words". Sri Lanka's campaign has been marked by sharp fluctuations. An 87-run defeat to England left them with an NRR of -4.350 before a five-wicket win over New Zealand brought a +2.310 boost. But the latest defeat to West Indies, after they were bowled out for just 98, improved it by only +0.127, leaving them stranded at -1.913 and reliant on results elsewhere.
While Sri Lanka's bowlers have shown encouraging improvement since the England game, the batting has remained a major concern. Barring Nilakshika Silva, none of the batters have managed to make substantial contributions, leaving the side searching for answers at the most crucial stage of the tournament.
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