GEELONG: Karthik Meiyappan lit up the Twenty20 World Cup with a hat-trick on Tuesday but it was in vain as Sri Lanka crushed the United Arab Emirates to get their campaign back on track.
The Asian champions were stunned by Namibia in the tournament's opening game on Sunday, a crushing 55-run defeat that left no room for error against the UAE.
They responded by bowling out the UAE for 73 for a convincing 79-run victory, but not before some drama.
Sri Lanka were cruising at 117-2 in Geelong when spin bowler Meiyappan derailed their plans in the 15th over, removing Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka and skipper Dasun Shanaka in successive balls.
It was only the fifth hat-trick at a T20 World Cup, and the first-ever for the UAE in any T20 international.
Shanaka's team recovered to post 152-8 with Pathum Nissanka making a gritty 74 and Meiyappan ending with 3-19.
"Really disappointed with the way we ended the innings (with the bat). We could have scored 180-190," said Shanaka. "But it was important to get a win, we focused on a win only. He (Nissanka) was outstanding."
Sri Lanka, the 2014 champions, face the unbeaten Netherlands next, needing another win, while Namibia take on the winless UAE.
After being put into bat, Sri Lanka made a strong start, reaching 42 before Kusal Mendis (18) was trapped lbw by Aryan Lakra.
Nissanka was joined by Dhananjaya de Silva and with the trumpets blowing from the Sri Lankan fans, they both crunched big sixes.
But their 50-run partnership came to an end with an amateurish run-out. Nissanka drove the ball and De Silva set off, but his partner did not respond, leaving him stranded.
Nissanka brought up his eighth T20 half-century with a cover shot but then watched as Rajapaksa, Asalanka and Shanaka all fell to Meiyappan.
Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva was snared by Aayan Afzal Khan four balls later as they lost four wickets for three runs.
Nissanka kept calm at the other end and began swinging his bat, before being dismissed in the final over.
SELF-BELIEF
Dushmantha Chameera quickly rattled the UAE in their reply, clean bowling Muhammad Waseem and Aryan Lakra in the space of five balls.
The UAE had no answer to the pace attack, slumping to 21-4 in the sixth over and they never recovered as Sri Lanka ran riot.
Chameera ended with 3-15 but hobbled off late in the game. -- AFP
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