T20 World Cup Super8: Rain threat for the match between Sri Lanka and England

Heavy rainfall is currently occurring in the Kandy area the day before the Super Eight match between Sri Lanka and England, scheduled for 3 PM today (22). The Department of Meteorology has also issued a heavy rainfall warning regarding this. The Pallekele area has received a significant amount of rainfall over the past five days leading up to this crucial match.

Although there is no risk of the match being completely abandoned due to the Pallekele Stadium staff acting very quickly and the constantly changing weather forecasts in the area, the pitch condition is not very good. Due to the continuous covering of the pitch with rubber covers, the grass has not received the necessary sunlight and oxygen, leading to the formation of brown patches in various places on the field.

As a disadvantage of covering the entire stadium, water flowing over these covers has accumulated at the boundaries of the pitch, causing the edges to be significantly wetter than the center. This has created a high probability that the four-run boundaries might have to be brought in slightly.

Sri Lanka's fielding coach, Mr. R. Sridhar, points out that both teams will have to understand and adapt to the nature of this deteriorated pitch. This situation will be even more critical for the Sri Lankan team, especially after their poor fielding performance against Zimbabwe, which included dropping a catch during the power play.

Mr. Sridhar stated that the Sri Lankan players' fielding within the thirty-yard circle during the match against Zimbabwe was below the expected standard, and this has already been discussed with the team. He further emphasized that excellent fielding will be a significant challenge at this stadium due to the pitch being covered for a long time and the activities on it, thus fielding strategies must be adjusted accordingly.

He believes that to field successfully on such an uneven and slippery pitch, players should refocus on the basics they learned during their school days. Adhering to simple fundamental principles such as getting the body behind the ball, maintaining a second line of defense, and supporting other players at the right time is essential here.

However, in a previous match against Australia at this very stadium, the Sri Lankan team displayed excellent fielding, restricting the Australian innings to 181 runs. A standout fielding moment in that match, and indeed the entire tournament, was Pathum Nissanka's spectacular leaping catch at 'backward point' off a fast reverse sweep by Glenn Maxwell. It is noteworthy that he achieved this feat after dropping a very easy catch offered by Maxwell at long-on in the previous over.

Mr. Sridhar stated that Pathum Nissanka's anticipation and early recognition of Maxwell's intentions in taking that catch were excellent. He mentioned that even if the catch wasn't taken, his getting to the correct position was a victory in itself, and it was an incident that brought new light to the tournament. The fielding coach further added that Pathum Nissanka deserves full credit for not being mentally affected after dropping an easy catch and for bouncing back strongly to take such an incredible catch.