Premadasa a hurdle in SL’s T20 journey

COLOMBO : The Nidahas Trophy, featuring India, Bangladesh and hosts Sri Lanka will have all their matches played at the R Premadasa stadium. With home advantage, the Sri Lankan team will fancy themselves to put up a great show in the tournament.

However, they face two uphill tasks. First is an India cricket team that is on top of its game and has not been defeated in a T20 series since 2015. Second --- and a peculiar factor --- is the jinx of the Premadasa. For Sri Lanka, this venue has provided them with more heartbreak in the format than any other venue, having lost 12 out of 14 games played.

Sri Lanka have endured plenty of heartbreaks in T20 at the R Premadasa. In the first T20 at the venue in 2009, they failed to defend 172 as Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan stitched a 59-run stand off 25 balls to help India win by three wickets. In the same year, they were whitewashed 2-0 for the first time in a series by New Zealand.

The hosts broke their fourmatch streak in the 2012 World T20 semi-final with a 16-run victory over Pakistan. However, in the final, they were blown away by Marlon Samuels’ 56-ball 78 as West Indies won by 36 runs to earn their maiden World T20 title. Following the final defeat, Sri Lanka went on to lose five consecutive games here against South Africa, Pakistan (twice), West Indies and Australia.

After beating Bangladesh to snap the losing streak, they suffered their first-ever loss to the same side. then in 2017, India hammered Sri Lanka by seven wickets in a one-off T20 to inflict an embarrassing clean sweep of the tour after winning the Tests and ODIs 3-0 and 5-0 respectively. When it comes to home love, the Premadasa is not providing Sri Lanka with any advantage so far.