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Get, Set, Go! Sri Lanka And Namibia Kickstart World Cup Challenge

Both teams will eye a win and take a step closer to the Super 12 qualification

ICC T20 World Cup is just hours away from its start. In the first game, Dashan Shanuka’s Sri Lanka will meet Namibia, an associate team. Even though fans may think it could be an easy walkover for Lanka, it is not true. Any team can cause upsets in the T20I format.

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Last year is a classic example. Namibia defeated associate nations and qualified for the 2021 World Cup. In the league stage, they defeated Scotland and secured a win. They played against Sri Lanka on the group stage, however, lost the game by seven wickets. They would take hope that any team can stage a fightback in the game’s shortest format. 

Some major upset wins in T20 World Cup

In the 2007 T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe defeated the world champions, Australia, in the group stage. The Aussies were the winners of 2007 50 Over World Cup. A loss was least expected from the team, which had the likes of Gilchrist, Ponting, Hayden, Hussey, and others.

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Batting first, the Aussies scored 138 runs, a below-par total. Zimbabwe chased the target with the help of a fighting half-century by Brendan Taylor. It was a stunning upset, a hard pill to digest for many cricket fans. Even though the African nation could not progress further in the league, they exited the tournament with heads held high. 

Australia learned from its mistakes and reached the semifinal before India prevailed over and entered the final. The lesson for Lanka from this game is not to take any opposition lightly in a big tournament. 

Sri Lanka has a great run in T20Is

Sri Lanka recently won the Asia Cup 2022 and has momentum with them. Mystery spinner Wanidu Hasaranga is their major weapon this year. Meanwhile, the young side has got several all-rounders and they can swing the game quickly.

Namibia will also aim to leave its mark on the ICC event. It will help to enhance their cricketing status and gain more opportunities to play bilateral series.

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