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Sri Lanka rout Netherlands for lowest T20 total, post fastest win

Last updated on: March 24, 2014 21:29 IST

Ahsan Malik of the Netherlands leaves the field after his team was bowled out for 39 runs in the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 Group 1 match against Sri Lanka at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.Sri Lanka shot out the Netherlands for just 39 runs, the lowest ever Twenty20 International total, before winning the Super 10 match in the World Twenty20 by nine wickets, in Chittagong, on Monday.

- Scorecard

Put in to bat, the Netherlands could survive just 10.3 overs as their batsmen were simply run over by the Lankan bowlers, with Angelo Mathews and Ajantha Mendis wrecking havoc with three-wicket bursts each.

Only Tom Copper could reach double digit figures of 16 while five batsmen were dismissed for naught.

In reply, the Lankans hit up the required runs in five overs for the loss of Kusal Perera for 14. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene were unbeaten on 12 and 11 respectively.

This was the lowest ever T20 International innings total, the earlier one being the 56 scored by Kenya while chasing a target of 163 against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in September last year.

Sri Lanka, in the process, recorded the largest margin of victory in terms of balls remaining as they overhauled the target with 15 overs to spare.

The previous largest margin of victory in terms of balls remaining in a Twenty20 International was Ireland's 10-wicket victory over Kenya at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in March 2012, which was achieved with 76 balls (12.4 overs) to spare.

In that match, Kenya were shot out for 71 in 19 overs and Ireland chased down the target in 7.2 overs.

With this victory, their second on the trot, Sri Lanka are on top of Group 1 with four points from two matches. They had beaten South Africa by five runs on Saturday.

Mathews had the wickets of opener Michael Swart (0) and wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi (1) off consecutive balls in the second over, but could not come up with a hat-trick.

He then returned to dismiss captain Peter Borren for naught in his next over and rock the Netherlands innings.

The Dutch, who qualified for the Super 10 after defeating Ireland, were 9 for 4 then, and after brief resistance suffered a dramatic batting collapse, with Mendis taking two wickets in quick succession.

They lost three wickets with the score 39, Mendis dismissing Pieter Seelaar (0) and Ahsan Malik (0) in the space of three balls.

Lasith Malinga took two wickets and Nuwan Kulasekara chipped in with one.

Image: Ahsan Malik of the Netherlands leaves the field after his team was bowled out for 39 runs in the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 Group 1 match against Sri Lanka at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images