UAE 'have an equal chance' of defeating Sri Lanka in T20 World Cup

So the UAE must beat the Asia Cup champions, and then hope it doesn’t rain on Thursday - as they will have to beat Namibia that day too - if they are to remain in the T20 World Cup.

A tall order, for sure. But they have not come this far to give it all up without a fight, ahead of their second preliminary-round match, against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

That much was obvious by the way Junaid Siddique raged against the inevitable when all seemed lost in their opening game against the Netherlands.

After posting a paltry 111-8 from their 20 overs, UAE were out of it. The bowlers did not get the memo, though. Sixteen-year-old spinner Aayan Khan took 1-15 from his three overs. Zahoor Ahmed went for just 11 from four.

And Junaid took two in one over which might easily have been three, which he believes would have won the game for the UAE. One chance went begging, though, and the game escaped.

“We knew that teams can collapse at any time,” Junaid said.

“It is a funny game. T20 is always a funny game. If we took that catch we were in the game. Definitely, we were in the game.

“The whole world is seeing you play, so there are different vibes that are happening. I had more energy to win for my team.”

Robin Singh, the UAE coach, said the testing batting conditions in Geelong mean everyone has the belief they can beat anyone.

On drop-in pitches in the centre of a field which was hosting Australia Rules football until recently, most batters struggled on the opening day.

Sri Lanka, fresh from winning the Asia Cup in Dubai, were shot out for 108 as they lost by 55 runs to Namibia in the first game of the tournament.

“Sri Lanka are a top side,” Singh said. “They play a brand of cricket that is suited to this format. We've seen that in the