In something that proved to be a swerve for many a cricket fans and made a fool of almost every cricket pundit, Netherlands eliminated the favourites Ireland and Zimbabwe to qualify for the league rounds of the ICC world T20 2014. They now face major challenges as they face bigger and better teams than what they faced in the qualification rounds. They chased a total of 190 inside 14 overs, creating and breaking many records on the way but now that hardly seems to be a possibility for them to do something like that against higher rated opponents.
Sri Lanka on the other hands is on a high after defeating South Africa in the opening game. The team looks very settled expect for the form of opener Tillakratne Dilshan. They won a very close game against the protease and they will carry a number of huge positives in their favor. Lasith Malinga looks to be at his accurate best, while Ajantha Mendis has also been consistently picking up wickets. The batting also looks in good form with Kushal Perrera and Sangakara in great touch. Angelo Matthews and Dinesh Chandimal also come up handy in the later overs.
The match’s result depends hugely on how well the Dutch batsmen face the Sri Lankan bowlers. They would have never faced the likes of Lasith Malinga and Mendis under such conditions. All one can advice them is to go out there and play the way they did against the Irish team. If they score good enough runs, they might just pull of another upset and warn their upcoming opponents.
Squads
Netherlands: Peter Borren (Capt.), Wesley Barresi , Logan van Beek, Mudassar Bukhari , Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters , Timm van der Gugten, Tom Heggelman , Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar , Michael Swart, Eric Szwarczynski.
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (Capt.), Lasith Malinga (vice-Capt.), Tillakratne Dilshan, Kushal Perrera, Kumar Sangakara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirammane, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perrera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Seekuge Prasanna
Check the T20 World Cup 2014 Schedule: Match Time Table & Fixture Details here
For ICC World Twenty20 2014 Points Table, Match Results and Team Standings click here
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