Champions Trophy qualification at stake for Sri Lanka ahead of Bangladesh clash

Rex Clementine in Delhi

Pollution in Delhi had raised serious questions about the World Cup fixture between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh going ahead with both teams cancelling some of their training sessions. There were suggestions of Lucknow and Dharamshala being looked at as alternative venues, but eventually the game stayed in Delhi and will be played today.

Pollution in Delhi has been a problem for some 20 years now. Burning of crops after Diwali celebrations up north in Punjab and Haryana had adversely affected the Indian capital. Cutting down of forests and abrupt constructions too had contributed to the pollution menace.

Usually, the Air Quality Levels in Delhi take a beating around December, but this time the pollution has hit the city early.

The High Court of Delhi had come down hard on the local government for not addressing the issue sufficiently. Schools will be closed here today and could drag on for a few more days as people often get sick due to the polluted air.

Both teams trained yesterday here, and Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis indicated how the game has still has relevance for his team despite being knocked out from the semi-finals.

Mendis elaborated that while the team needed to secure a berth in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which can only happen if they finish in the top eight, he was also keen on finishing off the competition well despite the humiliation in Bombay where the team was shot out for 55 runs.

Sri Lanka are currently placed seventh with four points and a win today will secure their Champions Trophy spot. Bangladesh are placed ninth with just one win.

What combination Sri Lanka will opt for today remains to be seen. Delhi produced a high scoring game the last time Sri Lanka were here to play South Africa, in their opening fixture of the tournament.

Dimuth Karunaratne, who replaced Kusal Perera hasn’t made an impact and even if Sri Lanka want to replace him, they haven’t got many options as both Kusal Perera and Dhananjaya de Silva, the remaining two batters in the squad are out of touch.

Sri Lanka’s last game of the World Cup is against New Zealand in Bangalore.

Bangladesh (From): Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam.

Sri Lanka (From): Kusal Mendis (Captain), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Angelo Mathews, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha and Chamika Karunaratne.

Umpires:

Richard Illingworth (ENG) and Marais Erasmus (RSA)

Third Umpire:

Nitin Menon (India)

Match Referee:

Ritchie Richardson (WI)