Sri Lanka has been eliminated from the T20 World Cup in the first round. They lost their initial two group matches to South Africa and Bangladesh, and their third game against Nepal was washed out. The Lankans can only blame themselves for this outcome. Despite decent bowling, their batting lineup failed to deliver.
Pathum Nissanka leads their batting charts in the tournament with 50 runs in 2 games at a strike rate of 139, with 47 of those runs coming in the match against Bangladesh. No other batter has even crossed 40 runs in total. Angelo Mathews has been the next best batter for Sri Lanka, scoring 32 runs in 2 games at a strike rate of 91.42.
Sri Lanka will be hoping for some valuable runs from Kusal Mendis, who has been out of form. However, the opening wicket-keeper batter is one of their key players, and a significant knock could be imminent.
In the bowling department, captain Wanindu Hasaranga has led the way with 4 wickets in 2 innings at an economy rate of 7.36. Nuwan Thushara impressed with his 4-18 against Bangladesh, showcasing his ability on these pitches. His new-ball spell against the Netherlands will be crucial, as he has the potential to take early top-order wickets.
The Netherlands will be disappointed with their previous game against Bangladesh. They were on track to chase a target of 160, needing 56 off 36 with 7 wickets in hand, but they collapsed and lost by 25 runs.
Currently in third place with 2 points and a net run rate of -0.408, the Netherlands needs a substantial win against Sri Lanka and some favorable outcomes in other matches to advance.
Sybrand Engelbrecht has been their top batter, scoring 87 runs in 3 innings at a strike rate of 105. He is followed by Max O’Dowd, who has 68 runs in 3 innings at a strike rate of 97.14. Vikramjit Singh, with 60 runs in 3 innings at 98, is another player to watch.
In the bowling department, Logan van Beek has been outstanding with 5 wickets in 3 innings at an economy rate of 7.23. He has been well-supported by Tim Pringle and Paul van Meekeren, who each have 4 wickets.
Both teams will be keen to win the toss and bowl first, aiming to restrict the opposition to less than 150 runs. The previous match at St. Vincent was won by the side batting second. With rain predicted, the wicket at St. Vincent is expected to offer an interesting contest between bat and ball.
