Perhaps no team in world cricket puts weaker sides away as emphatically as Sri Lanka. Since becoming full-fledged graduates from the easy-beats category in the mid-90s, they have spared no thought to their former peers, and on Monday they added two more world records to the small pile they have accumulated against easy-beats over the past 20 years.
Netherlands` 39 all out is the lowest ever Twenty20 score. Sri Lanka chased the target in a record five overs. Their domination of Netherlands was, strangely, almost as casual as it was unyielding. Nuwan Kulasekara`s opening over was full of the kind of swing away from left-handers he generates almost every time he has early use of the white ball.
Yet, this time, it would set in motion the most dramatic collapse the format has seen, as Stephan Myburgh outside-edged him to third man. Next over, Angelo Mathews delivered two unremarkable half-trackers back-to-back, and found himself on-a-hat-trick, as Michael Swart and Wesley Barresi fell attempting to attack.
The floodlight malfunction that caused a nine-minute break in play seemed a greater obstacle to a Sri Lanka victory than their opponents did, with the bat. The number of runs did not exceed the number of wickets until the 20th ball of the innings.
Bureau Report
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