T20 World Cup 2022: Will Sri Lanka make an early exit if they lose to Netherlands?

The day has finally arrived when Sri Lanka's fate in the T20 World Cup will be decided as they prepare to face the Netherlands for a place in the T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12. After losing to Namibia in their first match, Sri Lanka bounced back to beat UAE, which also helped them improve their net run rate. In the upcoming penultimate Group A fixture, the loser of the match faces the threat to exit the tournament. However, Sri Lanka can qualify for the Super 12 stage if other results go in their favour. Here's what the scenario looks like.

T20 World Cup: How can Sri Lanka qualify for the Super 12 stage?

Dasun Shanaka's team were favourites to win Group A after their Asia Cup exploits. However, the Lankans now find their fate hanging by a thread after one win and one loss. The Netherlands, meanwhile, have won both of their matches so far in the T20 World Cup 2022 and are close to advancing to the Super 12 stage. 

The Dutch team will automatically qualify for the Super 12 stage with 6 points if they win. In the process, Sri Lanka net run rate will also take a hit. Meanwhile, the loss for either of the team will benefit Namibia as they stand a chance to qualify for the Super 12 stage when they face UAE. Namibia has 1 win in 2 matches so far and needs to win their match against UAE to keep their T20 World Cup campaign alive. On the other hand, Sri Lanka's hopes of qualifying for the Super 12 stage will rest on the shoulders of the UAE. If SL loses and UAE beats Namibia by a big margin then the second team in the group will be decided on basis of net run rate as they will all be tied on 2 points.

Will the Netherlands lose out on the Super 12 stage despite two victories?  

If the Netherlands lose to Sri Lanka, they will still be in contention to qualify for the Super 12 stage. A win for Sri Lanka will see them go through on a better net run rate but the Netherlands will have to rely on Namibia vs UAE match. In that scenario, the Netherlands will hope that UAE ends their campaign with a win over Namibia which will help them qualify.