Sri Lanka have made it to the Super 12 stage of T20 World Cup 2022 with a 16-run win over Netherlands at Simonds Stadium, Geelong. Max O'Dowd carried the bat and the run chase on his back but could not get Netherlands over the line with his unbeaten 71. Netherlands’ fate in T20 World Cup is uncertain despite two wins in first two games as they would hope that Namibia lose their last game against United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Slow start
The run chase of 163 got off to a slow start. Opener Vikramjit Singh could not hit a single boundary and scored just seven runs from 14 deliveries. Maheesh Theekshana got his wicket in the fourth over. Bas de Leede hit a four and a six using the fielding restrictions but got out to Lahiru Kumara off the last ball of powerplay overs.
Chaotic middle overs
Wanindu Hasaranga struck early as well getting Colin Ackermann out for a golden duck. Tom Cooper did not do well either and scored just 16 runs from 19 deliveries as Theekshana took his second wicket. Wicketkeeper-batter Scott Edwards revived the run chase but got bowled by Binura Fernando in the 15th over. Edwards made a useful contribution of 21 runs from 15 deliveries including three boundaries.
As the dot ball percentage was higher, O'Dowd did not get enough strike to bring the required run rate down. Also, the wickets at the other end created more pressure. The run out of Tim Pringle in the 16th over did not help either. At the start of slog overs, Timm van der Gugten got out for a golden duck to Hasaranga. The leggie followed it up with the wicket of Fred Klaassen in the 17th over itself.
O'Dowd’s onslaught a bit too late
With eight wickets down in the 17th over, O'Dowd decided to take matters into his own hands. He targetted Fernando and hit him for a six and two boundaries. But, the run out of Paul van Meekeren turned out to be another blow for Netherlands.
An injured Reolof van der Merwe walked out to bat. In the penultimate over, O'Dowd hit Theekshana for two sixes but they were not enough. Lahiru Kumara finished well and pitched the ball away from O'Dowd's hitting zone. In the end, he remained unbeaten for 71 runs from 53 deliveries including six fours and three sixes as Netherlands lost the game by 16 runs.
Nissanka struggles
Earlier, Shanaka won the toss and opted to field first. Sri Lanka got off to a slow start as Pathum Nissanka played too many dot balls. Nissanka scored just 14 runs from 21 deliveries. His troubled stay at the crease came to an end as Paul van Meekeren took his wicket in the seventh over. He followed it up with the wicket of Dhananjaya de Silva for a golden duck.
Mendis’ perfect anchor knock
Kusal Mendis accelerated in the middle over while Charith Asalanka played second fiddle. The two batters shared a 60-run partnership for the third wicket. Asalanka scored 31 runs from 30 deliveries. De Leede broke the partnership in the 15th over. In the same over, Mendis got to his half-century with a six.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa hit a couple of boundaries but lost his wicket to De Leede after scoring 19 runs. In the penultimate over, Mendis hit a couple of sixes to get the score past 150. Fred Klaassen came back well to get the wicket of big-hitting Shanaka (8). In the final over, Mendis' knock came to an end. He scored 79 runs from 44 deliveries including five fours and as many sixes. Van der Gugten finished well and restricted Sri Lanka to 162/6.
