Max O'Dowd finished unbeaten on 71 but the Netherlands fell short in a crucial game
Geelong: Sri Lanka 162-6, Netherlands 146-9 - Sri Lanka win by 16 runs
Sri Lanka clinched their place in the Super 12s by beating the Netherlands in Geelong, overcoming the blow of losing their first group match against Namibia.
Kusal Mendis played a match-winning hand, making 79 after the Asia Cup winners won the toss and elected to bat, with only Max O'Dowd offering up any resistance in response.
Sri Lanka reached 162 for 6 from their 20 overs before defending that total with relative ease as the Netherlands, who had made totals of 39 and 44 in previous T20 World Cup clashes with the 2014 champions, lost regular wickets and fell short.
Mendis was starved of the strike for much of his innings, facing just 44 deliveries in 19.2 overs at the crease. But when he was given the opportunity, the Sri Lankan opener made hay, latching onto anything that sat up to be pulled over the legside.
He hit five sixes in a crucial knock that held his side together and dragged them to a winning score. No one else found timing the ball so easy: Charith Asalanka needed 30 balls to reach 31, Pathum Nissanka made 14 of 21 as the Netherlands successfully tied down Sri Lanka's top order.
But as the innings wore on, Dasun Shanaka's side put their foot to the accelerator; following a mediocre cameo that was followed by wickets in successive deliveries for Paul van Meekeren, Sri Lanka scored at almost 10 runs per over thereafter. Van Meekeren bowled Nissanka with a perfect yorker and then had Dhananjaya de Silva adjudged lbw for a first-ball duck, though a review – if called upon – would have shown the ball to be sliding past leg-stump.
Max O'Dowd fought a lone hand for the Netherlands (Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images)
Van Meekeren, who was consistently up towards 90mph in his spell, was the pick of the Dutch seamers. Timm van der Gugten was expensive and bowled at the death to a curious field; the latter part of Fred Klaassen's spell fed into Mendis' arc. Bas de Leede picked up the wickets of Asalanka, caught behind attempting to force a slower ball, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who holed out to deep midwicket. Mendis eventually fell similarly, scooping van der Gugten to substitute fielder Logan van Beek, on in the place of Roelof van der Merwe, who cut an anguished figure.
In reply, Vikram Singh struggled before swiping Maheesh Theekshana to midwicket, before Lahiru Kumara – one of the beneficiaries of Sri Lanka's seam-bowling injury crisis – claimed the big wicket, enticing Bas de Leede to fiddle a length ball through to Mendis. Three balls later, Colin Ackermann chipped tamely back to Wanindu Hasaranga, his second duck in three group games.
Tom Cooper became Theekshana's second wicket, missing a slog-sweep against the mystery spinner, before Scott Edwards' fightback was ended when he went too far across his stumps and was bowled by Binura Fernando, who pointed him on his way with a send-off. The Netherlands collapsed in a heap thereafter; Tim Pringle and van Meekeren were both run out, while Hasaranga's googly accounted for van der Gugten and Klaassen.
There was still time for O'Dowd to complete a lone-hand half century, but the Dutch side ultimately fell short by 16 runs.
Unless United Arab Emirates can defeat Namibia in the group's final game, the Netherlands will miss out on the Super 12s.
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.