T20 World Cup: Netherlands unbeaten, injury sours Sri Lanka win

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.

The Dutch are the only unbeaten team in Group A after an unexpectedly tight win in Geelong on Tuesday this week.

They are on the verge of progressing through the qualifying stage for only the second time in their five T20 World Cup appearances.

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.

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

He snared the key Namibian wickets of Jan Frylinck and captain Gerhard Erasmus in the second-last over.

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

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.

“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.

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.

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.

Frylinck top-scored with 43 from 48 balls as Namibia scored 31 from their last three overs.

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

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

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.

“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.

Frylinck said there was “massive difference between the pitch used on Tuesday and Sunday’s deck.

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

“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.”

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.

“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.

UAE bowler Karthik Meiyappan celebrates after taking a hat-trick against Sri Lanka. Photo: JAMES TAYLOR

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

“Hopefully, I think everything will be fine,” Sri Lankan captain Dasan Shanaka said post-match.

The Dutch lead Group A with two wins, while Sri Lanka and Namibia have a win apiece.

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.

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.

But when he returned to the attack in the 17th over, Junaid hoiked his second delivery over the grandstand roof.

Then four balls later, Chameera pulled up at his delivery stage and immediately limped from the field.

Wanindu Hararanga also took three wickets for Sri Lanka.

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.

He struck in the 15th over, with Sri Lanka cruising at 2-117.

First he had Bhanuka Rajapaksa caught in the deep for five and then Charith Asalanka was caught behind for a golden duck.

Meiyappan’s hat-trick ball was a beauty, bowling Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka between bat and pad.

“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.

Meiyappan took 3-19 from four overs as Sri Lanka reached 8-152 from 20 overs.

Opener Pathum Nissanka starred with 74 from 60 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes and was named man of the match.

A brilliant diving catch by Basil Hameed dismissed Nissanka off the bowling of Zahoor Khan with one ball left in the innings.

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

Hat tricks at T20 World Cup