Sri Lanka and the Netherlands both progressed to the Super 12 stage of the Men’s T20 World Cup following a thrilling conclusion to Group A.
They finished first and second in the group respectively to qualify for the next stage of games, starting on October 22.
Having lost to Sri Lanka earlier in the day, the Netherlands qualified after a shock seven-run win for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over Namibia.
It was the UAE’s first-ever win in the T20 World Cup, in only their second tournament.
Click to view full scoreboard- Sri Lanka vs Netherlands
Click to view full scoreboard- UAE vs Namibia
Some inconsistent bowling from Namibia allowed UAE to score a competitive 148-3, with opener Muhammad Waseem top-scoring with 50 from 41 balls.
The Netherlands players who stayed in the ground watched in anticipation as Namibia then slipped to 69-7, before David Wiese’s heroic 55 from 36 balls dragged them back.
But needing 14 from the final over, Wiese holed out to long-on to hand UAE an unexpected win – and the Netherlands an unexpected qualification.
In the earlier game, Kusal Mendis’ 79 from 44 balls propelled Sri Lanka to 162-6 – the right-hander smashing five sixes in his match-winning innings.
Max O’Dowd’s entertaining 71 not out from 53 balls kept Netherlands in the game throughout their innings but they fell 16 runs short and were left nervously waiting for the second game to be completed.
Sri Lanka qualify in first position meaning they join England, Afghanistan, Australia and New Zealand in Super 12 Group A, while Netherlands will face India, Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh in Super 12 Group B.
Both groups will see one more team join them, on completion of the first-round’s Group B, with Scotland, Ireland, West Indies and Zimbabwe hoping to qualify in Friday’s matches. (BBC Sport)
