Netherlands humble cocky Lankans in warm-up boilover. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor).
Source: ICC-Cricket.com (ICC media authorised to Trevine Rodrigo – eLanka Sports Editor)
Sri Lanka made an inauspicious start to their T20 World Cup campaign losing by 21 runs to the Netherlands in the USA in their first warm-up game before the tournament proper.
Obviously thinking too far ahead by being focussed on the real tournament, Sri Lanka let their guard down by resting several key players and paid the price as the underdogs turned tables on them.
Skipper Wanindu Hasarsnga was among the players rested from bowling, apart from Maheesh Theekshana and Dushmantha Chameera giving the Dutchmen a fighting chance of countering what was left of a weakened Sri Lankan bowling attack.
They took to it with gusto rattling up 181 for 5 in their allotment.
Sri Lanka’s batting then floundered losing the top order in quick succession to be 30 for 4. They never really recovered from it and were bowled out for 160 in 19 overs.
Seeing his team in trouble, Hasarsnga showed off his allround capability by smashing a hurricane 43 off 15 balls including five successive sixers.
Dasun Shanaka, (34),and Dhananjaya de Silva (30), put up the only other resistance as the Dutch made their intentions clear about what to expect when the World Cup begins.
