Sylhet (Bangladesh), March 21 (IANS) The Netherlands progressed to the Super 10 stage of the ICC World Twenty20 after topping Group B in the first round, a pool that included Ireland, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.
The Netherlands opened the tournament March 17 with a six-wicket victory over UAE before losing to Zimbabwe by five wickets.
However, they bounced back to record a convincing six-wicket victory over Ireland in the crucial final match of the first round. This meant the Netherlands finished on equal points alongside Ireland and Zimbabwe but progressed due to their superior net run-rate.
The Netherlands now joins Sri Lanka, South Africa, England and New Zealand in Group 1 of the Super 10 stage. Group 1 matches will start at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong Saturday.
The Netherlands will play their opening match against Sri Lanka Monday while their remaining matches will be against South Africa (March 27), New Zealand (March 29) and England (March 31).
Hosts Bangladesh Thursday joined defending champions West Indies, former champions India and Pakistan, and Australia in Group 2.