Match Details
Date: 20 October 2022
Time: 09:30 AM IST
Venue: Simonds Stadium, Geelong
Ball-by-ball commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview
Asia Cup 2022 champions Sri Lanka faced a shocking defeat at the hands of Namibia in their opening fixture of the T20 World Cup 2022. The Dasun Shanaka-led team could not chase 164 in their designated 20 overs and lost the game by 55 runs. Meanwhile, the Netherlands registered a comfortable win over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their opening fixture. They then defeated Namibia in their second game to qualify for the Super 12s. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka got the better of UAE to stay in contention for Super 12s. Now, they will have to beat the Netherlands to qualify for the next stage.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Simonds Stadium has been a mediocre batting surface so far. Batters have been able to score runs when the pace is offered but it’s been hard otherwise. The pitch is expected to behave the same way when the two teams meet on Thursday.
Team Analysis
Sri Lanka
It was not the best of starts for Asia Cup 2022 champions as they faced a defeat against minnows in Namibia. The Dasun Shanaka-led team were caught off-guard as they failed to chase 164 in their 20 overs. The Sri Lankan batters just could not find a way to the target. Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanka did try to some extent, but it just did not click for Sri Lanka. Although the team beat UAE in their second match, the big loss in the first game has caused a serious dent to their NRR. Now, the team will be focused to register a comprehensive win over the Netherlands to comfortably advance to the Super 12s. The batters will have to up their game a bit.
SportsTiger Playing XI of Sri Lanka
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pramod Madushan, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana
Netherlands
Netherlands have done the job as the team has already qualified for the Super 12s by winning both of their group-stage games. While they defeated UAE in their opening fixture, Netherlands eased past Namibia in their second match. The Dutch batters put on a collective effort in the first game to secure a win by three wickets for their team. In the second match, the bowlers did a great job to restrict Namibia to 121/6. Then the batters easily chased the total with Vikramjit Singh and Max ODowd scoring the 30s. The final group stage game will help Netherlands get ready for the Super 12s.
SportsTiger Playing XI of Netherlands
Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Bas de Leede, Coiln Ackermann, Tom Cooper, Scott Edwards, Roelof van der Merwe, Tim Pringle, Logan van Beek, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren
Match Prediction
Conclusion
Although Sri Lanka lost their first game, the Asia Cup champions have got their act together with the win against UAE. Now, they will be expected to take down Netherlands on Thursday (20 October).
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s point of view. They neither reflect the opinion of SportsTiger nor advise anyone to make any prediction based on this. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.