West Indies aim for survival

Defending champions West Indies will be desperate to address their batting woes and keep their slim semi-final hopes alive when they take on Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi today.

West Indies managed to revive their campaign with a scrappy three-run win over Bangladesh after consecutive defeats against England and South Africa.

The two-time champions' chances of reaching the semi-finals look very slim but they aren't out of the race just yet.

They not only need to win their last two fixtures to stay in the mix for the semis but also require dominant victories to improve their net run rate, which is the worst in the group.

The wins will not only improve West Indies chances but will also hurt fellow contenders Australia's chances of progressing and if South Africa lose against England, who are already through, then all three sides could finish on six points which will bring the net run rate into the equation.

The two teams have faced each other on 14 occasions in T20Is.  And notably, both the sides have won seven games each. On the other hand they have met seven times in the ICC T20 World Cup and Lankans have dominated the show in terms of wins (5-2).

Sri Lanka 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 West Indies bowling unit has shown they are capable of defending decent totals but they urgently need to address their batting frailties.  The side, known for its flamboyant style of play, has failed miserably with the bat.