Abu Dhabi, UAE — Two points from three matches, a poor net run rate and a struggling batting team, the West Indies will go into action against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi hoping for a miracle in their fourth match of the 2021 World T20.

The West Indies find themselves in this position because of massive defeats at the hands of England by six wickets and South Africa by eight wickets. After Sri Lanka today, they battle Australia on Saturday also in Abu Dhabi. So the equation is as follows, the West Indies need to win both matches to end on six points and also hope that England do them a favour and defeat South Africa.

The West Indies will need to win their remaining two matches by a combined 120 runs to move ahead of South Africa and join England in the semis. The Australians are still there lurking as well. Even if the West Indies win their final two matches, they will need England to topple South Africa by 22 runs at least. So the calculators are out and the West Indies coach, Phil Simmons, will be hoping that his team can rattle up the runs that have become very elusive during this tournament.

Pace off the ball has affected the West Indies big-hitters and while the bowlers have held their own, the batters have failed. The track at Abu Dhabi is better for batting than the two previous venues of Dubai and Sharjah. The pitch is still expected to be on the slow side and assist the spinners but it’s still quicker than Dubai and Sharjah.

Another crucial factor will be the toss as teams winning the toss and sending in the opposition have been those winning the matches. Sri Lanka, who had won the title in 2014, slumped to their third-consecutive defeat after a dominant victory in their campaign opener. With just one match to go in their Super 12 campaign, Sri Lanka can finish on a maximum of four points which will not be enough to help them progress.

The two teams have faced each other on 14 occasions in T20Is. Notably, both the sides have won seven games each. The two teams have met seven times in the ICC T20 World Cup. The Sri Lankans have dominated the show in terms of wins (5-2). They won in 2009 (twice), 2010, 2012, and 2014, while the West Indies tasted success in 2012 and 2016.

Teams: West Indies — Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran, Akeal Hosein, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Jason Holder, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

Sri Lanka — Dasun Shanaka (captain), Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando.