Netherlands upset Sri Lanka in warm-up fixture ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

The T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up matches have begun and the Netherlands have staged an upset, defeating Sri Lanka at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida on Tuesday, May 28.

In a potential strategic maneuver to keep their key bowlers Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, and Dushmantha Chameera under wraps for a group-stage rematch during the marquee event, Sri Lanka's bowling attack faltered against the Dutch and couldn't really find their bearings.

The 20-year-old Dutch opener, Michael Levitt, shone brightly, scoring a rapid 55 off 28 deliveries before retiring out in the spirit of a warm-up match, thus allowing other batters a chance to play. Skipper Scott Edwards and Teja Nidamanuru were also pivotal contributors, each scoring 27, helping their side reach a total of 181/5 in their allotted overs.

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Proving costly, Nuwan Thushara and Dilshan Madushanka gave away 48 and 39 runs in their respective quotas. However, left-arm orthodox bowler Dunith Wellalage was the pick of the bowlers, delivering a frugal spell of 1/26 in his four overs.

The Lankan top-order stumbled significantly, as Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, and Kamindu Mendis collectively managed just 14 runs from 20 deliveries. Despite quickfire innings from skipper Wanindu Hasaranga (43 off 15) and Dasun Shanaka (35* off 20), Sri Lanka's efforts fell short as they collapsed and were skittled for 161 with nine deliveries to spare.

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Young off-spinner, Aryan Dutt, stole the spotlight, bagging 3/20, as well as the right-arm medium fast bowlers, Kyle Klein and Logan van Beek, returning with 2/13 and 1/8 respectively. Sri Lanka eventually fell short by 20 runs.

Ahead of the mega-event, both teams have one more warm-up match to finetune their skills and synchronize their gameplay. The Dutch will take on Canada on Friday May 31, while the Lankans will square off against Ireland on the same day itself. These matches serve as pivotal opportunities for them to iron out any weaknesses before heading into the league stage, where they are grouped with South Africa, Bangladesh, and Nepal in Group D.