Sri Lanka’s defeat at the hands of Namibia may put the islanders in India’s pool in the Super 12s. Despite the loss, they remain a formidable side and are likely to advance as one of the top two sides from the group. The Asia Cup champions should beat both the UAE and the Netherlands. If they finish runners-up in Group A, they will be pooled with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa with only two of the teams going through to the semi-finals.
Sunday’s upset has put Namibia in a great position to advance. One victory over either the Netherlands or the United Arab Emirates will probably do the needful.
The winners of Group A will join Australia, England, New Zealand and Afghanistan in Group 1 of the Super 12s.
The Netherlands beat UAE by three wickets with a ball to spare in the other Group A match of the day. UAE managed 111 for 8 in 20 overs, and reduced the Dutch to 76 for 6 by the 14th over. It was Scott Edwards (16 not out) and Logan Van Beek (4 not out) who kept their cool in the final over to bring the team home. Brief Scores: UAE 111/8 (Muhammad Waseem 41; Bas de Leede 3/19, Roelof van der Merwe 1/19) lost to the Netherlands 112/7 (Scott Edwards 16, Tim Pringle 15; Junaid Siddique 3/24).
Group B features two-time champions West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Scotland with the winners going to India’s group and the runners-up to Australia’s.
West Indies open their campaign in Hobart on Monday, and should be favourites to beat Scotland.
But it’s the other match of the day – Ireland vs Zimbabwe – that may provide a pointer to which team is more likely to advance.
West Indies face Zimbabwe on Wednesday and Ireland on Friday, and need to avoid any slip-ups to progress.
Upcoming matches:
Oct 17: Scotland vs West Indies; Ireland vs Zimbabwe
Oct 18: Namibia vs Netherlands; Sri Lanka vs UAE
Oct 19: Ireland vs Scotland; West Indies vs Zimbabwe
Oct 20: Netherlands vs Sri Lanka; Namibia vs UAE
Oct 21: Ireland vs West Indies; Scotland vs Zimbabwe
