T20I Tri-Series in Rawalpindi It’s do-or-die for Sri Lanka today against Zimbabwe

By Sa’adi 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.   

Sri Lanka have been in Rawalpindi for almost a fortnight and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by switching the Tri-Series matches from Lahore to Rawalpindi has given enough time for the Sri Lankans to get acclimatised to the conditions and the types of pitches they will encounter. So their cannot be any excuse on that count although Babar Azam’s comment after Sunday’s game against Zimbabwe threw some light on the state of the pitches during the matches. “The pitch is playing differently due to the weather. But we have to be ready for all conditions,” said Babar.

Sri Lanka’s main concern is their batting which has been their Achilles heel for several years and has not found a permanent solution to fix it. There has been rare brilliances of batting but nothing consistent to class them in the bracket with India, Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa the top five nations in the ICC T20I team rankings.

The Lankan batting line-up has undergone several changes over the years and they are still experimenting with it. The T20 World Cup which Sri Lanka are one of the hosts is only three months away. 

In the two matches Sri Lanka has played so far, they have made 95 and 128-7, totals which are not going to win you matches. The highest individual score of 41* has come from Janith Liyanage, not a regular T20I player. Runs on the board is what Sri Lanka is lacking and from whom and from where it is going to come from is the $ 64,000 question. 

In the 2025 Asia Cup which was played in the T20I format, Sri Lanka made scores of 140/4, 153/6, 171/4, 168/7, 133/8 and 202/5 largely due to Pathum Nissanka firing with the bat. He finished as the second highest run-getter in the tournament with 261 runs and a strike rate of 160.12 with one century and two fifties. Sadly in the ongoing T20I Tri-Series Nissanka has not hit his straps and been dismissed for 0 and 17 and Sri Lanka has failed miserably with the bat.

The question that needs to be asked is: Is Sri Lanka’s batting all about Nissanka, what of the other five specialist batsmen?

It is not that they are out of form because you don’t get into 20s and 30s if that is the case, but it’s all in the head. The batsman need to buckle up and shoulder the responsibility to score runs instead of throwing their wicket away. It’s the middle overs that are causing the problems in both batting and bowling which Sri Lanka need to sort out.

Sri Lanka don’t have many options to look at for today’s game. With Kamindu Mendis out of form Pavan Rathnayake could make his T20I debut, and Maheesh Theekshana could return in place of Vijayakanth Viyaskanth. Whatever changes Sri Lanka are considering making, the bottom line is that they must win today’s contest, if not its curtains.