Australian stand-in captain Travis Head, centre, with his teammates. (AP photo) Australia arrive in Pallekele with no margin for error. A shock defeat to Zimbabwe turned their match against Sri Lanka into a must-win game. Another loss would make their Super Eight hopes hinge on unlikely permutations and combinations. The equation is stark: win or pack your bags.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Selection is another area of concern. Star batsman Steve Smith has arrived in Sri Lanka as cover for the injured Mitchell Marsh.But he can’t play until he’s formally drafted to the 15-man roster. Australia can do it without dropping anyone as they still have a spare slot after not naming a replacement for injured pacer Josh Hazlewood. Smith becomes a live option if Marsh misses again. The captain remains under an injury cloud following internal bleeding in his testicles and his availability shapes Australia’s balance at the top of the order.
“We weren’t good enough,” says Australia’s Matt Renshaw after the 23-run defeat by Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup.
Tim David returned from a hamstring problem and Marcus Stoinis was cleared after a blow to his left hand after returning to bat in the Zimbabwe match.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have made a clean start with two wins taking them to the top of Group B. They are still reeling from the loss of their wily spinner Waninda Hasaranga, who has been ruled out of this T20 World Cup with a hamstring tear. Dushan Hematha has come and run but the onus is on Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage. Captain Dasun Shanaka is in command and their supplies are changing.QUALIFYING SCENARIOS
- Australia have two games left, but even two wins may not be enough to qualify for the knockout stages.
- If Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe beat Ireland, Australia, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe would end up with six points and a clean run would then decide who advances.
- Australia needs some outside support to qualify. They have to hope that Sri Lanka lose to Zimbabwe or Zimbabwe lose to Ireland.
- If Australia lose to Sri Lanka on Monday, they can still survive in the tournament, but only if they beat Oman and Zimbabwe lose to both Ireland and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, only need a win against Australia to sail into the Super Eights.
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