Sri Lanka registered a 16-run victory over Netherlands in their last qualify round match of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Geelong on Thursday (October 20).

Opting to bat first, the island nation rode on Kusal Mendis’ swashbuckling 79 off 44 balls to post 162/6 on the board. Charith Asalanka also made a notable contribution of 31 runs with the bat.

Pacer Paul van Meekeren (2/25) was the pick of the bowlers for the Netherlands, claiming two wickets by conceding 25 runs in his four overs.

Chasing the target, Netherlands never got going as they lost their first three wickets for just 47 runs and then kept losing more at regular intervals.

While opener Max O'Dowd hanged around and tried his best to get Netherlands close to the target, his effort eventually went in vain as the Dutch were restricted to 146/9 in 20 overs. O'Dowd remained unbeaten on 71 from 53 deliveries, including six fours and three sixes.

For Sri Lanka, Wanindu Hasaranga (3-28) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-32) did the bulk of the damage with the ball while Lahiru Kumara (1-28) and Binura Fernando (1-33) chipped in with wicket apiece.

With this victory, the Island nation also secured their berth in the Super 12 phase. It was a must-win game for them as they had suffered a 55-run defeat at the hands of Namibia in the tournament opener and then bounced back against UAE with a 79-run victory.

Cricket fraternity congratulated the Sri Lankan team for cementing their place in the Super 12 round.

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