A strong Sri Lankan team that had already been eliminated posted an impressive score of 201 for six batting first against the Netherlands in their final Group D match of the T20 World Cup held at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Sunday.
Despite not being able to advance to the Super Eights phase of the tournament, the 2014 champions showed resilience after losing their early wicket of Pathum Nissanka, with opener Kusal Mendis leading the way by scoring 46 runs off 29 balls (including five fours).
Charith Asalanka also put up a good fight, reaching the same score of 46 but in eight balls fewer, with one four and five sixes, many of which were aided by a strong crosswind at the venue located on the northern tip of the island.
Logan van Beek, the grandson of the late former West Indies and New Zealand wicketkeeper/batsman Simpson “Sammy” Guillen, was the most successful bowler, taking wickets off successive balls in his third over, although his four overs ended up conceding 45 runs.
While trying to contain the Sri Lankan team, the Netherlands were also keeping an eye on the match in St Vincent where Nepal was struggling to chase a target of 107 set by Bangladesh.
A victory for Bangladesh would secure their spot in the Super Eights, eliminating any chance for the Netherlands to advance with a convincing win over Sri Lanka.
Despite already being out of contention for qualification, Sri Lanka made their mark by scoring the first 200-plus total in a T20 International match at the Daren Sammy Stadium.
str/sev
