Netherlands 146 for 9 (O’Dowd 71*, Edwards 21, Hasaranga 3-28, Theekshana 2-32) were defeated by Sri Lanka 162 for 6 (Mendis 79, Asalanka 31, van Meekeren 2-25, de Leede 2-31) by 16 runs.
Dasun Shanaka, the captain of Sri Lanka, won the toss and decided to bat against the Netherlands in their final T20 World Cup match in Geelong.
A major victory over United Arab Emirates rapidly after a tough defeat to Namibia, Sri Lanka had to win this game to progress, and they did it.
On a slow surface, Sri Lanka reached 162 for 6 thanks to Kusal Mendis’ outstanding 79 off 44 before cutting down the Netherlands with their spinners, with Wanindu Hasaranga in fine wicket-taking form ahead of the tournament’s main draw.
While the Netherlands never really had a lead in the game, opener Max O’Dowd kept them in it for the duration by reducing the number of runs needed in the final over-which was originally 36 to 23 after Maheesh Theekshana’s careless 19th, which cost 16 runs.
However, seamer Lahiru Kumara maintained his calmness in the final spike, and Sri Lanka won by 16 runs and advanced to the next round.
Kusal Mendis performance gave Sri Lanka a chance to post a respectable total. Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga each took five wickets. The latter did concede 16 runs in the final over, giving the Netherlands some hope, but Lahiru Kumara maintained his calmness and led his team to victory.
Player of the match Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis, Player of the Match stated that due to the wicket’s slowness, we had to take our time, and after 10 overs, I was able to score. Asalanka got off to a good start; he knew how the wicket behaved, and I was able to get going with a few boundaries.
In the third over, Mendis mishandled a heave over midwicket and scored his first boundary. After that, he continued to hit the ropes in the area between cow corner and fine leg. Each of his five sixes were hit in this area, along with pulls, slog sweeps, and, in the 12th over, a wrist flick that sent Timm van der Gugten into the stands beyond fine leg. He also made five fours, with just two coming from the wrong side. Of his 79, 64 came on the leg side.
Mendis’ innings allowed Sri Lanka to score above average on a challenging surface.
Successful Captain- Dasun Shanaka
Dasun Shanaka, a successful captain Although we could have won the first game to claim the top spot in this group, we fell short. However, the boys have done well, particularly the bowling team. We wanted to bowl well in the opening 10 overs and then take control of the game since I knew the wicket was two-paced.
Super Batting by Max O’Dowd
Max O’Dowd made an effort but received little assistance from the other side. In the end, it was too much for him because his heroic knock deserved so much more. Earlier, Netherlands had made a strong first impression with the ball, but Kusal Mendis played a brilliant innings to push Sri Lanka past 160.
160 always seemed strong on a track that had something to offer pacers and spinners. The Netherlands could have done better, as evidenced by the final score, with some assistance from the hitters for O’Dowd.
He smashed Theekshana for two sixes (one off a no-ball) in the following over to keep victory within their grasp. He hit a six and two fours off consecutive deliveries from Binura Fernando to score 15 in the 18th over.
The Netherlands needed to put on a far stronger performance, but they botched it in the final stages of their bowling inning, and then their batting failed.
Sri Lanka made a remarkable effort considering how lucky they were at the beginning. With a 44-ball score of 79, Kusal Mendis nearly carried his bat; he served as the centre around which the other batters batted.
Mendis and Asalanka prevented a collapse despite Nissanka’s inability to get going and DDS’s failure to review an LBW call against him. Although there were a few false shots, none found their way into the fielder’s hands, and as the innings went on, the confidence began to return.
Rajapaksa and Shanaka made some beautiful cameo appearances to make sure they passed 160. Despite their inconsistent hitting performance thus far, Netherlands has nothing to lose and everything to gain today.
DO FOLLOW: T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka Beat Netherlands By 16 Runs To Confirm Super 12 Berth
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