Sri Lanka defeated the Netherlands by 16 runs to the Super 12 stage of the Men’s T20 World Cup.
As Sri Lanka scored 162-6 while batting first, opener Kusal Mendis hit 79 off 44 balls.
In response, Netherlands remained competitive throughout their innings thanks to Max O’Dowd’s entertaining 71 not out from 53 balls.
Lahiru Kumara successfully defended 23 from the final over to give Sri Lanka the victory.
Following a shocking loss to Namibia in their opening match, Sri Lanka won two straight matches to advance out of the group quickly.
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Despite winning their first two games in Group A, the Netherlands’ loss is in danger because of their subpar net run rate.
Each group’s top two teams advance to the Super 12s, which begin on October 22.
But Netherlands must await the outcome of the second game of the day between Namibia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which takes place at 09:00 BST – and will be counting on the winless UAE to grab an unexpected victory if they are to qualify.