Sri Lanka have been officially knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2024 after Bangladesh beat the Netherlands by 25 runs in St Vincent on Thursday (June 13). The win which saw Bangladesh reach four points in Group D meant that Sri Lanka could no longer finish in the top three, thus being the first high-profile name to face elimination from the tournament. Bangladesh’s win also means that they need only a point against Nepal in their final match to book a place in the Super 8.
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Bangladesh’s win eliminates Sri Lanka
Having set a target of 160 runs to win for the Netherlands, Bangladesh bowlers came good to help their side win by 25 runs. Sybrand Engelbrecht was the top scorer for the Dutch side with 33 off 22 while Vikramjit Singh (26) and skipper Scott Edwards (25) also got starts before getting out. With no big innings and wickets falling consistently at one end, the match was won by Bangladesh as the Dutch managed only 134/8 in their 20 overs.
Rishad Hossain was the pick of the bowlers for the Netherlands as he ended with figures of 33/3 in four overs while Taskin Ahmed bagged two.
Earlier, Shakib Al Hasan’s 64-run innings laid the platform for the win while getting support from Tanzid Hasan (35). Shakib remained unbeaten while he got support from Mahmudullah (25 off 21) and Jaker Ali (unbeaten 14). This helped Bangladesh reach 159/5 in 20 overs. Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren both ended with two wickets each for the Dutch side.
The big picture
Bangladesh’s win now sees them in pole position to reach the Super 8 as this clash was a virtual playoff. The Netherlands can still reach the Super 8 stage if Nepal upset Bangladesh and the Netherlands beat Sri Lanka by a considerable margin. However, this is unlikely to happen with Bangladesh being the favourites to win against Nepal and therefore favourites to reach the next round.
For Sri Lanka, who were T20 World Cup winners in 2014 it, will be the end of the road as their clash against the Netherlands will be a dead-rubber as they failed to finish in the top two.
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