Bristol, June 22: A desperate Sri Lanka will look to keep their mathematical semifinal hopes alive when they square off against a winless Ireland in a crucial Group B fixture at the Bristol County Ground on Tuesday.
For Sri Lanka, the tournament has been a roller-coaster ride. After being thoroughly outplayed by England in the tournament opener, the Chamari Athapaththu-led side bounced back spectacularly to upstage defending champions New Zealand in a tense chase. But a comprehensive five-wicket defeat to the West Indies has left their knockout aspirations hanging by a slim thread.
Currently sitting on two points from three matches with a dismal net run rate of -1.913, Sri Lanka not only needs to secure massive victories in their remaining fixtures against Ireland and Scotland but also rely on favourable external combinations to progress into the knockouts.
On the flip side, Ireland find themselves knocked out of the semifinal contention following three consecutive defeats.
Sri Lanka clearly hold the upper hand in terms of experience and firepower. However, if Ireland can exploit the inconsistencies in the Sri Lanka Lankan batting order, an upset cannot be completely ruled out. (IANS)
