No room for slip-ups as Sri Lanka meet familiar rivals Bangladesh

One quick glance at Group D ahead of the World Cup would have told you how South Africa were overwhelming favourites to go through to the Super 8s. They did live up to that billing in their first match when they hammered a former champion in Sri Lanka. The island nation were bowled out for just 77 on a treacherous pitch. That total without a doubt has caused a huge dent in their net run rate.

Now, Sri Lanka cannot afford to slip again. This group has Bangladesh, Netherlands and Nepal. While Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were expected to fight it out for the second Super 8 spot from this group, Netherlands and Nepal are no pushovers. Even for a team that has a rich history of thrashing lower-ranked teams, nothing is guaranteed in this format and on the world stage as