T20 World Cup 2022: Paul van Meekeren sends Pathum Nissanka packing with vicious yorker

The Netherlands' pace bowler Paul van Meekeren stunned the Sri Lankan batting line-up with two wickets in two balls in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 First Round fixture between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.

In a must-win game for both sides, Sri Lanka decided to bat first after winning the toss but the powerplay didn't turn out to be much productive for the Dasun Shanaka-led side. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis were keen on not losing wickets which in turn affected their scoring rate. 

Right after the powerplay, van Meekeren bowled an amazing seventh over which accounted for two wickets in a quick span. The right-arm pacer bowled a brilliant yorker at 145 Kmph to remove Nissanka after his 21-ball 14. Notably, it was the previous ball that outdid Nissanka as van Meekeren bowled a back-of-a-length delivery which climbed up on him and hit his elbow. 

Expecting a short-length delivery again after the nasty hit, Nissanka’s feet did not move and van Meekeren went through his defenses. On the very next delivery, Dhananjaya de Silva was trapped LBW in front of the wickets with another full delivery that shaped into the pads. The right-hand batter consulted the non-striker about taking the review but decided against it.

Here's the video of van Meekeren's back to back wickets:

pic.twitter.com/VTxc2TpZwx

— Vaishnavi Iyer (@Vaishnaviiyer14) October 20, 2022

Two back-to-back wickets put the Netherlands on top of the game. Sri Lanka are currently occupying the third position on the points table with one win in two games and their net run rate is better than the Netherlands'. A win in the ongoing encounter might be enough for them to seal a position in the Super 12 stage. 

On the other hand, the Netherlands can still qualify for the Super 12 stage even if they lose the game against Sri Lanka. However, they would have to depend on the UAE to beat Namibia which is highly unlikely going by their current form.