Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe live World T20 2012

The fourth edition of the biggest extravaganza in the shortest format of the game is all set to get underway in Sri Lanka with a dozen teams lining up for the title.

The first match will be played on Tuesday as the hosts Sri Lanka take on minnows Zimbabwe.

Sri Lanka enter as one of the pre-tournament favorites with home conditions being their biggest advantage.

Moreover, they have evolved into a dangerous T20 side over the years and the recently-concluded Sri Lankan Premier League has further lent credibility to their credentials.

Captain Mahela Jayawardene has sounded confident about the team’s chances and has also issued a warning to the other teams who may take them slightly given the patchy record in recent months for the island side.

Lasith Malinga is going to be the trump card though it should not come as a surprise if Sri Lanka decide to save one of their many surprise packages for later matches.

Dilshan Munaweera, one of the successes of the SLPL, finds his way into the squad and is likely to open the batting while Ajantha Mendis could be deadly on home pitches.

Zimbabwe have been a struggling side ever since they had their troubles almost a decade ago with senior players revolting.

The team has not had the best of build ups either, losing both its warm up matches to lowly ranked Bangladesh and Ireland.

Their batting has been the bothersome aspect in both the matches but Brendan Taylor remained optimistic about his team putting up a better show in the main matches.

Vusi Sibanda’s presence in the top order makes a significant impact and the conditions in Hambantota should suit his style of play.

The small African nation has only one win in the three previous editions of ICC World Twenty20 - the famous one against Australia in 2007.

The match starts at 7.30pm local time in front of a sellout crowd.