SL vs UAE Prediction: Who will win today's T20 World Cup 2022 match?
The Asia Cup champions suffered a rude awakening at the hands of Namibia in their first game of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Geelong, but a Sri Lanka vs UAE clash will give them the opportunity to bounce back at the same venue on Tuesday, October 18.
Namibia and the Netherlands, the two undefeated teams in Group A in the first round, will meet earlier in the day. So both Sri Lanka and the UAE will understand the significance of the fixture, with the losing team bound to be all but eliminated from the competition.
Sri Lanka's batting lineup came a cropper against Namibia. Chasing 164, they were bundled out for just 108 as only three batters entered double figures. The first three wickets fell within four overs of the powerplay, with another falling in the seventh over. Although their middle order tried to pull something out of the bag, the Eagles ran away with a 55-run victory.
The UAE, in contrast, put up more of a fight. After managing just 111/8 against the Netherlands, they managed to prise out six wickets in the first 14 overs to arouse hopes of a famous defense. But the Dutch held their nerve to get over the line with three wickets in hand and one ball to spare, consigning CP Rizwan and Co. to a narrow defeat.
Sri Lanka will keep an eye on their net run rate, which suffered a beating against Namibia. But more importantly, they will be eyeing two points, without which they might suffer an embarrassing and unexpected exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka vs UAE Match Prediction T20 World Cup 2022
Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis were among Sri Lanka's best performers in the Asia Cup, but the stylish duo managed only a combined 15 runs against Namibia. Dhananjaya de Silva and Danushka Gunathilaka couldn't add too much to the team's score either, leaving Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanaka with a mountain to climb in the middle overs.
Up against the potent new-ball threat of Junaid Siddique, Sri Lanka will need to be at their best. The Lions will also need to be watchful against the UAE's talented spinners, especially leggie Karthik Meiyappan and 16-year-old Aayan Afzal Khan.
The UAE, meanwhile, are heavily reliant on their top order to fire. A promotion for Kashif Daud didn't exactly pay off against the Netherlands, and although Muhammad Waseem hung in there, he didn't get enough support from Chirag Suri and Vriitya Aravind, the cornerstones of the batting who couldn't get going.
Overall, while the UAE have talent in patches, Sri Lanka should be able to overcome their opening-day loss in the T20 World Cup fairly comfortably. Unless they completely lose the plot, Shanaka and Co. can be backed to put two points on the board in convincing fashion.
Prediction: Sri Lanka to win Match 6 of the 2022 T20 World Cup