Two teams with contrasting results in their previous encounters lock horns tomorrow at 10:30 am in the Ekana. Sri Lanka succumbed to their 3rd consecutive defeat against Australia whereas Netherlands scripted one of the biggest upsets, as they soundly defeated South Africa at Dharamsala.
Both teams went against each other earlier this year at Zimbabwe. Although Sri Lanka soundly defeated the Dutch in the finals of the qualifiers, Netherlands pushed the Ceylon nation to their absolute brink in the group stage encounter.
Probable XIs:
Netherlands: Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Wesley Barresi, Colin Ackermann, Bas De Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (C &WK), Logan Van Beek, Roelof Van Der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul Van Meekaran.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (C & WK), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhanajaya De Silva, Dunith Wellalage, Chamira Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madhushanka
Updates:
Matheesh Pathirana is reported to have pulled his hamstring.
Uncertainty looms around Perera’s inclusion due to a concussion issue
Match Particulars:
Date: 20th October 2023
Time: 10:30 AM IST
Venue: Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
Predictions:
- With respect to how things have turned out in the previous 2 matches played at Lucknow, spinners of both sides are expected to galore, with both teams giving 30 out of their 50 allotted overs to the slower bowlers
- The match will be a low scoring thriller, with both side’s top order finding it tough against the spinners.
- Aryan Dutt to continue his chokehold of opposition openers at the start
Conditions:
Ekana was a sweet haven for spinners in IPL 2023, with them bowling with an economy of 6.5 in that tournament. Although so far conditions haven’t been so drastic, spinners have indeed found aid. Expect the pacers to make use of their cutters and a low scoring encounter.
Interesting Match-ups:
There haven’t been much matches between the two sides recently so there aren’t any exceptional matchups between the 2.
Scott Edwards had played a brilliant knock of 67* from 68 balls against Sri Lanka earlier this year, albeit in a losing cause.
Interesting Stats:
- Dilshan Madhushanka made his debut earlier this year and has picked his 17 ODI wickets so far at a brilliant average of 23.82.
- Kusal Mendis has scored 207 runs from 3 innings at an unreal strike-rate of 156,82, in the ongoing tournament
- Scott Edwards is just 222 runs away from becoming Netherland’s highest run getter in ODIs. Tough to achieve it tomorrow but hey! Never say never.
Players to Watch Out For:
Sadeera Samarawickrama: Having made his ODI debut way back in 2017, it was only in 2023 did he get consistent chances after his initial failure, and it’s this second innings in which he has been brilliant. Scoring 616 runs @41.07 with a brilliant strike rate of 97.47 in 2023, he has been overshadowed by Kusal Mendis.
A brilliant player of spin, it will be interesting to see how he counter-attacks SLA spinner, Roelof Van Der Merwe.
Aryan Dutt: With an ODI bowling average of 47.57, Aryan doesn’t seems to be the a bowler worthy of being mentioned in this section, however his performances in this tournament, especially in the powerplay have been much better than the stats suggest. Opening the bowling for his side, Aryan has bowled 2 consecutive maidens in the first over of his previous innings. Bowling at the high 80s, Aryan has managed to maintain his revs even at such high speeds, proving to be worrisome for many a left handed openers(Kusal has his work cut out tomorrow). He has been unlucky to not pick as many wickets as his performances have warranted but Ekana might just be the place where he breaks this deadlock.
Dream XI Team:
