The penultimate day of group stage action still has a lot to offer with both Bangladesh and Netherlands in with a shout of reaching the Super 8s while the Kiwis will be looking to end a rather disappointing campaign on a high as they take on minnows Papua New Guinea in their final Group C fixture.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at our predictions for day 16.
Bangladesh are in the driving seat heading into their final Group stage fixture. A comfortable 25-run victory over the Dutch means Bangladesh’s fate lies in their own hands. A win or a washed out game guarantees them a Super 8 place while a defeat means they’d have to rely on neighbors Sri Lanka to do the job against a spirited Netherlands team. Besides, the fact that some of their key batsmen have shown glimpses of regaining their form will only do them a world of good moving forward.
Their opponents, Nepal, nearly pulled off the heist of this tournament against South Africa the other day. After restricting the Proteas to 115, thanks to their spin duo Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee, Nepal had one foot over the line with the team needing a run-a-ball 18 with 7 wickets in hand. However, their inexperienced batting order couldn’t cope with the pressure and eventually lost the game by a run.
Given the pitches at St. Vincent have given more assistance to the spinners, Bangladesh’s ability to play spin better should give them the edge over Nepal in this crucial Group D fixture.
Fantasy XI: Liton Das; Kushal Bhurtel, Tanzid Hasan; Dipendra Singh Airee, Shakib Al Hasan, Rishad Hossain; Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Sakib, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mustafizur Rahman
Venue: St. Vincent, West Indies
Winner: Bangladesh
Sri Lanka were officially knocked out of the tournament when Bangladesh beat Netherlands the other day. Although their bowlers have held their own against the likes of South Africa and Bangladesh, it is their rather inconsistent and unreliable batting order that has let them down so far in this tournament. Apart from Pathum Nissanka, none of the Sri Lankan batters have looked in decent form. Moreover, their all-rounder trio of Angelo Mathews, Dashun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga have failed to deliver on the big stage. A win tomorrow will at least lift them off the foot of the points table.
The Dutch, on the other hand, have the chance to make it into the Super 8s, something many of us didn’t think was possible when the groups were initially seeded. Although they were outplayed for much of the game against Bangladesh, Scott Edwards and co. know they have it in them to get one over a wounded and dejected Sri Lankan side. If anything, like Sri Lanka, the Dutch will also be hoping for their top-order and middle-order to contribute to the team’s cause, something they haven’t been able to do all tournament.
Taking form and confidence into consideration, the Netherlands should have the upper hand. However, as we’ve often seen in T20 cricket, when teams don’t have anything to play for, they become even more dangerous.
Fantasy XI: Scott Edwards; Max O’Dowd, Pathum Nissanka; Logan Van Beek, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Dhananjaya de Silva; Nuwan Thushara, Paul van Meekeren, Aryan Dutt, Matheesha Pathirana
Venue: St Lucia, West Indies
Winner: Netherlands
Both New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are officially knocked out of this year’s T20 World Cup. However, that doesn’t mean either of them would happily concede to the other. With pride at stake, both teams will be looking to end their campaigns on a high note.
After two consecutive defeats to Afghanistan and the West Indies, which practically ruled them out of the tournament. The Kiwis vented out their frustration against Uganda in their last fixture, decimating the minnows to just 40 in 18.4 overs. With PNG next, Trent Boult and co. will be looking to make light work of a struggling associate side.
Papua New Guinea, though, despite their poor batting efforts have shown that they have a bowling attack capable of troubling any batting unit. Both West Indies and Afghanistan know this first hand. Although it is very unlikely PNG can pull off an upset, their bowlers should at least give them something to think about.
Fantasy XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway; Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips; Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner; Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Alei Nao, Semo Kamea
Venue: Tarouba, West Indies
Winner: New Zealand
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