{"id":60678,"date":"2022-10-20T12:00:05","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T01:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/t20-world-cup-netherlands-unbeaten-injury-sours-sri-lanka-win\/"},"modified":"2022-10-20T12:11:40","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T01:11:40","slug":"t20-world-cup-netherlands-unbeaten-injury-sours-sri-lanka-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/sport\/t20-world-cup-netherlands-unbeaten-injury-sours-sri-lanka-win\/","title":{"rendered":"T20 World Cup: Netherlands unbeaten, injury sours Sri Lanka win"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAS de Leede has produced more heroics to overcome a late scare and lead the Netherlands to a five-wicket T20 World Cup win over Namibia.<\/p>\n

The Dutch are the only unbeaten team in Group A after an unexpectedly tight win in Geelong on Tuesday this week.<\/p>\n

They are on the verge of progressing through the qualifying stage for only the second time in their five T20 World Cup appearances.<\/p>\n

A massive game today (Thursday, October 20) against Sri Lanka will determine whether they finish in the top two and go through to the Super 12 matches.<\/p>\n

After taking three wickets in Sunday night’s narrow win over the UAE, de Leede was man of the match again against Namibia.<\/p>\n

He snared the key Namibian wickets of Jan Frylinck and captain Gerhard Erasmus in the second-last over.<\/p>\n

But his unbeaten 30 from 30 balls was the difference as he and Tim Pringle (8no) guided the Dutch home with three balls left.<\/p>\n

Needing six off the last over, de Leede crucially belted the first delivery from David Wiese for four and he hit the winning runs two balls later.<\/p>\n

“Some of the boys might be a bit bitter that I’m scooping up all the wickets at the end, but they have to deal with that,” de Leede joked as he received his second award.<\/p>\n

After winning the toss, Namibia slumped to 3-32 in the sixth over and they were on the back foot for much of their innings.<\/p>\n

They were only 3-56 after 10 overs, but their game-one hero Frylinck combined with Stephan Baard (19) and Erasmus (16) in the later overs.<\/p>\n

Frylinck top-scored with 43 from 48 balls as Namibia scored 31 from their last three overs.<\/p>\n

The Dutch were cruising with Vikram Singh (39) and Max O’Dowd putting on 59 for the first wicket in 8.2 overs.<\/p>\n

They had reached 1-92 when O’Dowd was run out for 35 on the second-last ball of the 14th.<\/p>\n

That sparked a collapse of 4-10 in 18 balls that suddenly had the Dutch in strife at 5-101 in the 16th over, before de Leede and Pringle combined to stave off the Namibian fightback.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know if we want to be known as a team that takes it down to the last few balls, but we’re obviously stoked to have the second win,” said Dutch captain Scott Edwards.<\/p>\n

Frylinck said there was “massive difference between the pitch used on Tuesday and Sunday’s deck.<\/p>\n

“Maybe there was no grass on that wicket. I think that’s why the other nights played very nicely,” he said.<\/p>\n

“This one was very two-paced. Some of the balls got stuck in the wicket and some of them just skidded through which made it quite difficult.”<\/p>\n

After their massive upset win over Sri Lanka on Sunday, Namibia now must beat the UAE tonight if they are to have any hope of reaching the Super 12 stage.<\/p>\n

“We’re very proud of the way that we fought up until the end. And looking ahead to Thursday, it’s going to be a very big game for us and we’re going to prep well for that one,” Frylinck said.<\/p>\n

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UAE bowler Karthik Meiyappan celebrates after taking a hat-trick against Sri Lanka. Photo: JAMES TAYLOR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Tuesday evening’s game, Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup campaign is on a knife’s edge, with star paceman Dushmantha Chameera limping off late in their thrashing of the UAE.<\/p>\n

Chameera’s injury took some of the gloss off the 79-run win that kept Sri Lanka in contention to make the Super 12 stage.<\/p>\n

It was an eventful Group A qualifying game, with UAE leg-spinner Karthik Meiyappan taking the first hat-trick of the tournament.<\/p>\n

Adding insult to Chameera’s injury, in the same over as he left the field, Junaid Siddique hit a mammoth six off him that went more than 100m and cleared the top of the Reg Hickey Stand at Kardinia Park.<\/p>\n

Chameera tore through the UAE top order and it would be a major blow to Sri Lanka if he is unavailable for today’s decisive match against the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

“Hopefully, I think everything will be fine,” Sri Lankan captain Dasan Shanaka said post-match.<\/p>\n

The Dutch lead Group A with two wins, while Sri Lanka and Namibia have a win apiece.<\/p>\n

The top two teams in the group go through to the Super 12 games and Namibia are in the hunt after Sunday’s shock win over Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

Chameera missed their Asia Cup win last month through injury, but looked back to top shape on Tuesday when he snared three wickets to leave the UAE in tatters at 3-19.<\/p>\n

But when he returned to the attack in the 17th over, Junaid hoiked his second delivery over the grandstand roof.<\/p>\n

Then four balls later, Chameera pulled up at his delivery stage and immediately limped from the field.<\/p>\n

Wanindu Hararanga also took three wickets for Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Meiyappan took the first hat-trick by a UAE player in a T20 international and only the fifth hat-trick in T20 World Cups – the first being by Australia’s Brett Lee in 2007.<\/p>\n

He struck in the 15th over, with Sri Lanka cruising at 2-117.<\/p>\n

First he had Bhanuka Rajapaksa caught in the deep for five and then Charith Asalanka was caught behind for a golden duck.<\/p>\n

Meiyappan’s hat-trick ball was a beauty, bowling Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka between bat and pad.<\/p>\n

“Getting a hat-trick in a World Cup game, especially against a Test-playing nation in Sri Lanka, that is a really great feeling and it hasn’t sunk in yet,” Meiyappan said after the innings.<\/p>\n

Meiyappan took 3-19 from four overs as Sri Lanka reached 8-152 from 20 overs.<\/p>\n

Opener Pathum Nissanka starred with 74 from 60 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes and was named man of the match.<\/p>\n

A brilliant diving catch by Basil Hameed dismissed Nissanka off the bowling of Zahoor Khan with one ball left in the innings.<\/p>\n

The UAE are 0-2 and out of contention to make the Super 12 stage. They will end their tournament today against Namibia.<\/p>\n

Hat tricks at T20 World Cup<\/p>\n