T20 World Cup Match Prediction: Sri Lanka versus Namibia. 4th Match. Who Will Win?

Sri Lanka will be kicking off their World Cup campaign with a match against Namibia as they look to navigate their way out of the first round without any bumps in the road. For the Namibia cricket team, this is a good chance to make a name for themselves and try and cause an upset. With the Netherlands and Ireland also being in this group, Sri Lanka will not want to leave anything to chance, and will be hunting for a big win.

Who do we reckon will win this match? Keep reading this match prediction and you will find out.

Sri Lanka Team Preview

Sri Lanka played a few matches against Oman before the start of their 2021 T20 World Cup campaign, and these matches should have helped them get into the groove a bit. However, the pitch that they will be playing on at Abu Dhabi is probably going to be a lot different to the one that they played on in Oman.

Their spinners will be vital on this playing surface, and this is one area where they should have a huge advantage over their opponents. Players such as Wanindu Hasaranga and Akila Dananjaya should be able to cause the Namibian batsmen all types of issues. In fact, if you were thinking about betting on the Top Bowler market for Sri Lanka, you would not be doing yourself a disservice by betting on Hasaranga.

When it comes to their batsmen, Dasun Shanaka and Avishka Fernando are two batsmen that have been in great form as of late. Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perara, and Bhanika Rajapaksa should all be in their starting XI as well.

Namibia Team Preview

Namibia have earned the right to play at the 2021 T20 World Cup, so they definitely should not be underestimated by Sri Lanka. Their most famous player in the squad is David Wiese, who has played T20 cricket all over the world and has played for South Africa in his past, but there are some other players that Sri Lanka should be wary of.

Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus, and Stephan Barrd should all get a place in the starting XI, while Weise, JJ Smit, and Ben Shikongo will be the main bowlers tasked with keeping Sri Lanka's batsmen honest. Namibia will not be a pushover and we think that they will test the Sri Lanka team, but ultimately, we feel that they will struggle due to the fact that many of their players have not got a lot of experience at this level.

Toss Prediction

The captain that wins the toss will more than likely opt to field first. There might be a bit of dew that comes into play in the second innings, so both captains would rather be batting when the dew arrives. Chasing at this ground really should be seen as an advantage.

Pitch Conditions

The weather conditions should be very good for cricket since the temperatures are becoming a lot more bearable in the UAE. The pitch, on the other hand, could be challenging as it offers runs when the ball is new, but becomes much harder to score from when the ball gets older. The Sri Lankan players should be able to take advantage of a slow wicket more so than the Namibian players.

Our Prediction

The favourites for this match are obviously Sri Lanka, and we do not see there being an upset here of any proportion. There used to be a time when Sri Lanka would see off lower-ranked nations with brutal ease, but those times seem to have gone. However, we still believe that Sri Lanka have more than enough to see off Namibia this time around.

Our match prediction: