Do or Dutch Sri Lanka face Netherlands in must-win matchSri Lanka face Netherlands in must-win match

Sri Lanka were dealt injury blows on Tuesday, with fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera ruled out from the World Cup and Pramod Madushan doubtful for Sri Lanka’s winner-takes-all clash against the Netherlands in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

Chameera suffered an injury to his calf muscle, while bowling the last over of his four over quota during Tuesday’s win over United Arab Emirates, with his place likely to be filled by fellow right arm fast bowler Lahiru Kumara.

Madushan and Danishka Gunathilaka are also carrying injuries, although only the former featured in the last match for Sri Lanka.

While their injuries are not believed to be so serious that they are ruled them out of the World Cup, Madushan might have to sit out Thursday’s match, in which case Binura Fernando could be in line as a replacement.

Sri Lanka’s team is likely to remain otherwise unchanged from the side that beat UAE by 79 runs.

They carry the advantage on net run rate, but the Netherlands have two wins and four points – effectively meaning the winner is guaranteed a place in the Super 12.
Namibia carry a superior net run rate to both Sri Lanka and Netherlands, so victory in the match against United Arab Emirates will be enough for them to scrape through.
Changes to the Dutch team appear unlikely, with all-rounder Bas de Leede starring in both wins the Netherlands have recorded in the tournament so far.

The versatility of the Dutch bowling attack will test Sri Lanka, although their fragile middle order has been exposed in their previous matches.

Sri Lanka has won all five of their previous contests against the Netherlands, three of them in ODIs, and the other two in T20 World Cup matches. In both those T20 matches, Sri Lanka have bowled out the Dutch cheaply, before chasing down the target with relative ease.

In the 2014 World Cup, which Sri Lanka would go on to win, they bowled out the Netherlands for 39 – still the lowest score in a T20 World Cup – before chasing the target down in five overs. At last year’s T20 World Cup, in a repeat performance, Sri Lanka bowled out the Dutch for 44, with Kusal Janith Perera scoring a bulk of the runs in the run chase, completed in 7.1 overs.