A hat-trick from spinner Karthik Meiyappan was not enough for the United Arab Emirates as they were beaten by Sri Lanka at the Men’s T20 World Cup.
Meiyappan removed Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka to help restrict Sri Lanka to 152-8.
But the UAE were skittled for 73 to slip to a 79-run defeat that sees them all-but eliminated.
Sri Lanka now need a big win against the Netherlands in their final game to qualify for the next stage.
The Netherlands edged Namibia by five wickets in Tuesday’s earlier game to top Group A, with Sri Lanka third behind Namibia courtesy of their inferior net run-rate.
The 2014 champions face the Netherlands on Thursday before Namibia take on the UAE.
The top two sides from each group will qualify for the Super 12s (two groups of six), which start on 22 October. The winner of Group A and runner-up from Group B will face England. (BBC Sport)
