🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: Match 38: Sri Lanka vs Netherlands @6:00 AM IST🏏

🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: Match 38: Sri Lanka vs Netherlands at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia on 17/06/2024 @6:00 AM IST🏏

Netherlands hope for a miracle against despondent Sri Lanka

To qualify for Super Eight, Netherlands need to beat Sri Lanka by a big margin and hope Nepal beat Bangladesh

Well, where do you go from here? For Sri Lanka, safe to say, this is nowhere near where they would have wanted to be, as yet another major ICC tournament goes by with them toiling with little more than pride to play for.

This turn of events might rankle even more considering that coming into this tournament there had been a quiet confidence in the Sri Lankan camp, particularly of positive results against one or both of South Africa and Bangladesh - certainly the latter whom they recently beat in T20Is - as well a deep run in the tournament. But things didn't quite work out that way, and following a washout against Nepal, they are now faced with the very real prospect/ignominy of ending at the bottom of their group with not even a win to their name.

It's also their final ICC tournament until their home T20 World Cup in 2026 - there's a Champions Trophy next year but they missed out on qualification - so regardless of the result, there will no doubt be an inquisition back home into the state of white-ball cricket.

Bangladesh favourites to make Super Eight, but Nepal could ask difficult questions

As for the Netherlands, there is still a chance to qualify for Super Eight, but it requires a dominant win against Sri Lanka, as well as Nepal beating Bangladesh.

If this scenario had been posited a couple of years ago, it's safe to say Bangladesh would have been pretty relaxed, but such has been the upward trajectory of the Associate members, especially at this tournament, such upsets are not nearly as surprising as they once might have been.

Nepal's agonising defeat to South Africa allied with Sri Lanka's dismal showing so far in this tournament has lent itself further to these unlikely scenarios, but there's more to it. While Sri Lanka have Test tours of England and South Africa scheduled for the year following this campaign, the failure to qualify for the Dutch means their cricket for the foreseeable future is done, so they're certainly not in want of added motivation. With them playing after Bangladesh and Nepal, they will go in knowing exactly what's needed of them.

In terms of head-to-head records, Sri Lanka have never lost to Netherlands, but the more recent encounters haven't been as one-sided as the scorecards might suggest.

[Tag and Logo credit to Wildestdreams]

Stats that matter

• Sri Lanka have a 9-0 win-loss record against the Netherlands in limited-overs cricket.
• Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka are the only Sri Lankan batters to average above 25 and have a strike rate of above 130 in T20Is since January 2023.
• The average first-innings score at Gros Islet is 161.

Sri Lanka have endured a tough World Cup campaign. They were the first victims of the controversial and treacherous New York pitch before being jetted around to three different venues for three other matches. Short turnaround time, delayed flights, the inconvenience of long travel for training and a washout later, the curtains have come down on a forgettable tournament for the 2014 winners. Angelo Mathews was there that night in Dhaka when Sri Lanka downed India, and is now in St. Lucia on June 16, expressing his disappointment at being ousted after the first round.

The miles Sri Lanka have had to clock to just play four games has been cruel, but incidentally, their opponents on Monday are the only other team having to deal with that predicament. Netherlands began in Dallas, moved to New York before heading to St. Vincent and wrapping up in St. Lucia. Their opinion of this scheduling however, has been refreshingly stark.

"Yeah, I think for our guys it's an awesome opportunity to play cricket in different parts of the world. It's something we thrive off. We love playing in different conditions in different parts of the world. Obviously, it's short breaks between games but that's just part of how these World Cups go and our guys love that," Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said on the eve. The prospects of making it to the Super-8s, however faint, has given Netherlands another reason to remain upbeat and hopeful.

Netherlands have won the toss and have opted to field

Batting second: If Nepal chase a target in 18 overs against Bangladesh, Netherlands will have to do that within 14.3 overs against Sri Lanka (assuming first innings score of 150 in both cases).

Batting first: If Bangladesh lose to Nepal by 30 runs, Netherlands will have to beat Sri Lanka by around 23 runs (assuming a first-innings score of 150 in both case)

Seven out of the eight Super 8 spots have been decided and tonight will decide Group D, termed as the 'group of death' ahead of the tournament. South Africa were through with four wins from four matches, but they did survive close shaves. Bangladesh are sitting pretty at the moment and all that they need is to win the match that's currently underway in St. Vincent against Nepal. But the underdogs showed that they're not here to make up numbers with a spirited show against South Africa and Netherlands will count on exactly that even as they look to upstage Sri Lanka in the second night game here in Saint Lucia. We saw a high scoring thriller yesterday with Australia beating Scotland in a 180-run chase and we could be in for a similar run-fest today, something that's gone missing ever since the tournament started a fortnight ago. For Sri Lanka, there's plenty of pride to play for and for once be a party spoiler.

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga(c), Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana

Netherlands (Playing XI): Michael Levitt, Max ODowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards(w/c), Bas de Leede, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma

We're playing on the same pitch as yesterday. The perfect conditions for cricket, 31 degrees and there's no rain coming. The breeze is coming from the north-east at 13 kmph. 66m and 69m square boundaries, while the straight hit is at 78m. Using the wind and not using is the key here, the batters will need to be wary about using the wind. The pitch looks a bit dry, so there could be some help for the spinners, but in general it's a good surface for everyone, reckon Lisa Sthalekar and Ian Bishop, in their pitch report.

Thank you Raji for the thread and for tagging me.

May the best team win this match.

Kingma to Nissanka, out Caught by Sybrand Engelbrecht!! Nissanka c Sybrand Engelbrecht b Kingma 0(2)

Kingma to Nissanka, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Kingma to Kamindu Mendis, no run, short and wide of off, Mendis throws his hands on the cut and missed

0.3

Kingma to Kamindu Mendis, no run, short of a good length and just outside off, defended off the back-foot to the off-side

Kamindu Mendis, left handed bat, comes to the crease