So what should you do next? It’s reasonable to assume that Sri Lanka would not have wanted to be anywhere near here, as they labor through yet another important ICC event with nothing more than pride on the line.
This turn of events may aggravate people even more given that the Sri Lankan team entered the tournament with a quiet confidence, especially after winning one or both of their matches against South Africa and Bangladesh (the latter of whom they recently defeated in Twenty20 Internationals). They also had high expectations for a deep run in the competition. However, things didn’t exactly go that way, and after losing to Nepal, they now have to deal with the very real possibility of finishing bottom of their group and not even earning a victory.
In addition, it’s their last ICC competition until their home T20 World Cup in 2026. They were not able to qualify for the Champions Trophy the following year, so whatever the outcome, there will undoubtedly be an investigation of the health of white-ball cricket back home.
The Netherlands still has a chance to make it to the Super Eight, but they need to defeat Bangladesh and Sri Lanka handily in order to do it.
It’s easy to argue that Bangladesh would have been more laid back if this scenario had been presented a few years ago, but given the Associate members’ recent improving trend, particularly in this event, such upsets are not nearly as startling as they previously may have been.
These improbable possibilities have been further supported by Nepal’s heartbreaking loss to South Africa and Sri Lanka’s poor performance thus far in the tournament, but there’s more to it than that. Although Sri Lanka’s Test tours to South Africa and England are planned for the year after this one, they won’t need much more inspiration given that their chances of playing in the Netherlands are gone for the foreseeable future due to their inability to qualify. They will enter the game knowing exactly what is expected of them because they are playing after Bangladesh and Nepal.
Although Sri Lanka has never lost against the Netherlands in their head-to-head record, the more recent meetings haven’t been as lopsided as the scorecards may imply.
In the spotlight – Aryan Dutt and Angelo Mathews
At the ODI World Cup last year, Aryan Dutt made an impressive display by taking three wickets in the previous meeting between these two teams. Despite being ignored in the more seamer-friendly environments of Dallas and New York, he managed to regain his place in the team in the Kingstown match against Bangladesh. Dutt’s control and variety might be crucial in the powerplay to expose Sri Lanka’s vulnerable middle order, as spin is expected to be a major factor on Gros Islet.
Angelo Mathews’s career was just getting started when he made his last appearance at Gros Islet. That was also during a T20 World Cup, but things were better for Sri Lankan cricket, at least on the field. After 14 years, he has returned as a seasoned veteran, since his club has already been eliminated at the first round. Additionally, he has found it difficult to adapt to the more aggressive style of cricket that Twenty20 cricket demands; his career strike rate has stalled at 119.48, significantly below the benchmark set by the format’s leaders. They need Mathews to demonstrate that he can adjust to the changing circumstances, as Sri Lanka’s power hitters are now limited to their top three and Dasun Shanaka is not playing well.
Team news – spin to win?
Spin-bowling allrounder Saqib Zulfiqar could come into the XI should the Netherlands opt for an extra spinner.
Netherlands (probable XI): 1 Michael Levitt, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Vikramjit Singh, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Scott Edwards (capt, wk), 6 Bas de Leede, 7 Logan van Beek, 8 Tim Pringle/Saqib Zulfiqar, 9 Aryan Dutt, 10 Paul van Meekeren, 11 Vivian Kingma
If Sri Lanka want an extra spinner, they could hand allrounder Dunith Wellalage a T20I debut.
Sri Lanka (probable XI): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamindu Mendis, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga (capt), 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Matheesha Pathirana, 11 Nuwan Thushara
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