It’s do-or-die for Sri Lanka today against Zimbabwe

T201 TRI-SERIES IN RAWALPINDI

- By Sa’ab1 THAWFEEQ

Pavan Rathnayake in line for a T20I debut

FOR struggling Sri Lanka, the equation is so simple. Win the next two matches and qualify for the final.

Easily said than done.

As it stands Sri Lanka needs to win their remaining two matches against Zimbabwe today and Pakistan on Thursday to have any chance of making it to the final of the ‘T20I Tri-Series.

Pakistan did Sri Lanka a favour by beating Zimbabwe by 69 runs on Sunday to become the first team to qualify for the final. The win actually have left Sri Lanka who are yet without a win after two matches, a slim opportunity of sneaking into the final.

Their task is not easy. Not only have they got to beat Zimbabwe but also Pakistan in their remaining two matches. This is because of the massive loss to Zimbabwe in their opening fixture which has left them with a big net run rate difference of -2.496. The only way for Sri Lanka to get over that deficit is to beat Zimbabwe by a big margin or win their two remaining games which means the net run rate will not come into play. Simply beating Zimbabwe alone won't suffice because Sri Lanka will still be behind on the net run rate.