T20 WC: Sri Lanka look to make it three wins in three against Netherlands

In-form Sri Lanka will be looking to make it three wins from as many games and top Group A when they face the Netherlands in the final match of the first round at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The Lankans already qualified for the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup after winning their first two matches.

There is no such joy for the Netherlands though as they have lost their first two games of the T20 World Cup, ending any hopes they had of making it to the Super 12.

Sri Lanka started their T20 World Cup campaign in style as they beat Namibia by 7 wickets. The 2014 T20 World Cup champions then thumped Ireland by 70 runs. Two wins in two games eased their way to the Super 12 stage of the World Cup.

On the other hand, it has been a struggle for the Dutch team from the word go. The men in Orange were first beaten by Ireland by 7 wickets. There was no change of fortune as they were next beaten by Namibia by 6 wickets. The loss against Namibia was the final nail in the coffin for their hopes of progressing to the Super 12.

Head-to-head

The two teams have faced each other only once in a T20I match back in the 2014 T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka beat the Netherlands by 9 wickets in that match.

Form Guide:

The Netherlands: L-L-L-T-W
Sri Lanka: W-W-L-L-L

Pitch and conditions:

The second half of this year’s IPL showed that the pitches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium have slowed down considerably. Sharjah hosted ten matches of the IPL 2021 UAE leg and of them, six matches were won by the team batting second. The average first innings total of the 10 IPL games played at the venue this year is 136.9. So, if the trend continues, scoring runs should be tough.

The evening will be clear and warm. The temperature would be around 27 degrees Celsius with humidity levels expected at around 37 per cent.

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Stephan Myburgh, Kusal Perera (wk), Roelof van der Merwe, Colin Ackerman, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Bas de Leede, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara

Impact player for Sri Lanka

Maheesh Theekshana: The spinner is impressing everyone with his bowling performances. Against Namibia, he bowled a fine spell of 3/25. He followed that up with another great spell against Ireland, picking 3 wickets once more and conceding only 17 runs. Expect the spinner to stem the flow of runs and also pick wickets in this match.

Impact player for the Netherlands

Ryan ten Doeschate: Ryan ten Doeschate is going through a lean phase. But if he gets going, he could be a very destructive batter and a clever bowler. ten Doeschate is a fine cricketer and has immense T20 experience. He has played 382 T20 matches and scored 7597 runs and picked 114 wickets. With the Netherlands playing under no pressure, ten Doeschate could play freely and try to win the match for his team.

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