Sri Lanka to face Nepal in must-win T20 World Cup match

June 11 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka will take on Nepal in the 23rd match of the ongoing T20 World Cup at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Florida tomorrow morning (Wednesday).

The venue, which hosted its first international match in 2010, is expected to offer better batting conditions than its New York counterpart, where pitch conditions have been tricky.

Sri Lanka will benefit from their previous experience at the ground, offering an advantage over Nepal.

After two defeats to South Africa and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka are in must-win territory. They need victories against Nepal and the Netherlands, and also rely on at least one of those teams to beat Bangladesh to keep their hopes alive. 

Sri Lanka currently sits fourth in Group D.

Sri Lanka’s bowling coach Aqib Javed is confident in his side’s strong bowling lineup. “We have the best leg-spinner in the world, a mystery bowler, and slingers who are very unique and effective in T20 cricket,” Javed said ahead of the match. He also praised right-arm pacer Nuwan Thushara for his four-wicket spell in their last match against Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Nepal, coming off an eight-wicket loss to the Netherlands, is at the bottom of Group D. 

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel said that a win against Sri Lanka would be a great gift to their supporters. “It will be a motivation for all of us to express ourselves and grab that first win,” Paudel said in his pre-match news conference. “It’s a privilege to have such support, and we want to play our best cricket and make them proud and happy.”

Nepal’s 21-year-old skipper acknowledged Sri Lanka’s pressure in this do-or-die situation, hoping to capitalize on it. He said Sri Lanka is under more pressure than them.

Daily Mirror partners with BETSS and STbet for live coverage of tomorrow's match, starting at 05:00 AM Sri Lanka time.