Published: Mar 23, 2014, 11:48 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 24, 2014, 12:20 PM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
Mar 23, 2014
Sri Lanka take on Netherlands for their second game at the ICC World T20 2014. It is Netherlands’ first game in the Super 10s, while Sri Lanka beat South Africa by five runs in their opening encounter. The game would be held at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong.
Sri Lanka come into this game with the confidence of their tense win over South Africa. Their batsmen had put up the score on that occasion and the bowlers had done well to peg South Africa back at crucial junctures of the game. However, Sri Lanka would hope that Kusal Perera is fit as he did pick up an injury during the last game. They need their star youngster who had smashing the ball around the park in a way that was reminiscent of Sanath-Jayasuriya.
The main issue for Sri lanka is Tillakaratne Dilshan’s struggle for form; they would hope he gets his touch back. This game could be an ideal chance for him to get back some rhythm and spend a decent amount of time in the middle. Their middle-order looks strong in Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews holding the innings. They also have the big-hitting ability of Thisara Perera to follow.
On the other hand, Dinesh Chandimal also needs to find his role in the setup as he is batting lower down the order and it isn’t doing him much good. As far as their bowling is concerned, they would bank on two men: Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis can win them this game almost single handedly as the Dutch may not have faced someone like then. They have a tall-order in that regard as tackling these bowlers would be a huge test.
The Dutch have been buoyed by that remarkable victory over the Irish, but this is a very different kettle of wish. Their batsmen won’t be able to express themselves as freely as they did during the previous game. But, there is one man they will bank on and that is Tom Cooper. When compared to his other teammates, he gets more quality exposure as he plays in Australia. He has been their trump-card so far. But, there is also a lot expected from Stephan Myburgh, Wesley Barresi and Peter Borren.
The Dutch bowling too would be tested when they come up against a quality batting side. Perhaps Cooper and Peter Seelaar would be their main weapons as they are spinners and would take pace of the ball. Mudassar Bukhari would be their main seam bowled in the game.
One would expect an easy Sri Lankan win, but they would guard against complacency as they have to be clinical to go all the way. Netherlands can hope to give a good fight and see if they can perhaps capitalize on a few opportunities.
Squads:
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (c), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Sachitra Senanayake, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lahiru Thirimana, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal.
Netherlands: Peter Borren (c), Stephan Myburgh, Wesley Barresi (wk), Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, Ben Cooper, Michael Swart, Eric Szwarczynski, Vivian Kingma, Pieter Seelaar, Tom Heggelman, Mudassar Bukhari, Ahsan Malik, Timm van der Gugten , Michael Rippon.
Time: 19:00 IST | 13:30 GMT
ICC World T20 2014 Points Table and Team Standings
ICC World T20 2014 Schedule details
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_44)
