NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka, already out of contention for the Super Eight stage, comfortably defeated the Netherlands by 83 runs in their final Group D encounter of the T20 World Cup at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Sunday.
Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka, both scoring 46 runs, propelled the 2014 champions to a total of 201 for six, marking the first instance of a team surpassing the 200-run mark in a T20 International at this venue.
Mendis' innings came off 29 balls, including five fours, while Asalanka's knock was even more explosive, featuring one four and five sixes in just 21 deliveries, aided by the strong crosswinds at the northern end of the island.
The Dutch chase began promisingly with a 45-run opening partnership within five overs. However, the innings started to unravel once slingy seamer Nuwan Thushara dismissed Max O'Dowd.
The Netherlands found themselves struggling at 69 for four after nine overs when news arrived of Bangladesh's 21-run victory over Nepal, securing the final spot in the next round of the tournament.
This development further deflated the Dutch team, and Sri Lanka comfortably closed out the match, bowling out their opponents for 118 in 16.4 overs.
Captain Scott Edwards and opener Michael Levitt top-scored with 31 runs each, but the Sri Lankan bowling attack proved too strong for the Netherlands batting line-up.
Nuwan Thushara was the standout bowler, claiming three wickets for 24 runs.
