Southern Express have not had the greatest of times in the Champions League T20 2014 qualifiers so far. The Sri Lankan side have lost both their games, rather handsomely, and are on the brink of elimination. However, the tiniest of hope does remain, and Southern Express will look to kill two birds with one stone by picking up a victory over the Lahore Lions in their CLT20 2014 Qualifier 5 in Raipur on Tuesday.
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The Southern Express vs Lahore Lions CLT20 2014 Qualifier 5 is scheduled for a 4 pm IST (11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET) start with live coverage on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports HD1. The match can also be watched via live streaming online HERE. Rest of the world viewers can catch all the math action via online live streaming HERE. Catch the action in the UK and Europe on Eurosport, while viewers can also watch online via live stream HERE.
Viewers in the US can catch all the action on ESPN, with the option available for live streaming HERE. Canada viewers will be able to view the game on Sportsnet or live online HERE. Middle East and North Africa viewers go HERE to watch the match online, while the match can be live streamed in South Africa and Sub Saharan HERE.
All four teams from the qualifiers still stand a chance of qualifying, with the Mumbai Indians and the Northern Knights, who play each other later in the day, in pole position to qualify.
The Southern Express and the Lahore Lions both need to pick up a win to stand a realistic chance of qualifying, with the onus more on the Sri Lankan side, who will definitely be eliminated from the CLT20 2014 if they lost to the Lahore Lions on Tuesday.
The Lions will still have the slightest of chances of qualifying even if they fail to stop Southern Express from picking up their first win of the tournament, but then they will be relying on the Northern Knights inflicting a heavy defeat on the Mumbai Indians, who currently have the same point total as the side from Pakistan with the New Zealanders topping the table having picked up two wins in two matches.
Winning the game against the Southern Express, preferably heavily, will put them in good stead and put the pressure back on the Mumbai Indians, who will then know they have to beat the Northern Knights to qualify.
The Lahore Lions have blown hot and cold so far in this CLT20 2014, easing past the Mumbai Indians in their opening match of the tournament on Saturday, before slipping up against the Northern Knights.
The T20 champions from Pakistan will take comfort from the fact that the Southern Express have been far from impressive, losing, first, to the Northern Knights in a rain-curtailed game, before being outclassed by the Mumbai Indians on Sunday.
"I think we got a par score under the conditions," Southern Express all-rounder Farveez Maharoof told CLT20's official website after the nine-wicket loss to the Mumbai Indians. "We bowled well in the first six overs but couldn't get any wickets.
"They got the momentum going and I believe the dew played a role and it got tough to hold the ball. Not taking anything away from the Mumbai Indians -- they batted well according to the situation. We played our part with the bat but didn't put our best foot forward in the bowling department.
"As a team we did well, but not enough to beat the strong Mumbai Indians. Not taking wickets at regular intervals played a crucial role in the result of the game."
In a do or die match, two things can happen – either you thrive under the pressure and put in your best foot forward, or you crumble quicker than a cookie. Both Southern Express and the Lahore Lions will hope for the former.
