Highlights
- The first game of the Super 12 will be played between Australia and New Zealand on October 22, 2022
- United Arab Emirates won by 7 runs against Namibia
- Sri Lanka won by 16 runs against Netherlands
T20 World Cup 2022: Cometh the hour, cometh the performance, this line exactly sums up the story of the qualifiers so far. With the main tournament starting on October 22, 2022, not many had expected teams like Namibia, Netherlands, UAE, and Ireland to perform as they did. Each of them played more than what was asked of them and they certainly did everything at their disposal to deliver high-octane contests. It is safe to say that the qualifiers set the tone of the tournament. Here is a recap of how the qualifiers panned out on day 5.
Match 9: Sri Lanka vs Netherlands, Group A
Just before the start of this, team Netherlands were in a stronger position as compared to Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka. Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka knew that they had to live up to their tag of Asian Champions and on the other hand, Netherlands had nothing to lose. Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat in the first match of the day. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis opened the proceedings for Sri Lanka.
With Nissanka falling prey to Paul van Meekeren, the onus of carrying the innings fell upon Kusal Mendis and he rather did a splendid job. The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman struck a sublime 79 off 44 deliveries. Mendis's compatriot Charith Asalanka scored a gritty 31 off 30 deliveries and propelled their score to 162. Netherlands opener Max ODowd displayed his batting prowess as he scored 71* off 53 deliveries for his side. Star Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga finally stepped up as he claimed 3 wickets in his quota of 4 overs. Netherlands certainly tried their best but fell short by 16 runs.
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Match 10: United Arab Emirates vs Namibia, Group A
In search of their first-ever victory in the history of the T20 World Cup, UAE locked horns against Namibia. Both the teams were certainly out of contention but they still put up a great show as far as the game is concerned. United Arab Emirates won the toss and opted to bat. Muhammad Waseem scored a sublime 50 but received little or no support at all from his partner Vriitya Aravind. Skipper Chundangapoyil Rizwan scored 43 off 29 deliveries. UAE's batter Basil Hameed tried to accelerate the scoring at the death and in the process helped UAE register a decent total of 148/3.
Namibia knew that it was a do-or-die situation for them. A place in Super 12 wasn't guaranteed even if they won the tournament. Openers Michael van Lingen and Stephan Baard departed pretty soon. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus too did not contribute to his team's cause. It was last-minute heroics by David Wiese who scored 55 off 36 deliveries. At a strike rate of 152.78, Weiss hit 3 boundaries and 3 gigantic sixes. He tried his level best but perished at the hands of Muhammad Waseem. UAE registered a historic victory as they won the match by 7 runs.
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As of now Sri Lanka and Netherlands have qualified for the Super 12 stage and with the last day of the qualifiers still to follow, it will be quite interesting to see who makes it to the grandest stage of them all, the stage of the World Cup.
