Bulawayo [Zimbabwe], July 1 : After winning the Super Six stage match of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands by 21 runs on Friday, Sri Lanka's batting coach Naveed Nawaz said that 213 was a good target.
"Throughout the tournament we have managed to keep every side under 200 so far. The bowling has been good since the start of the tournament. When things went bad at the top end, we were planning how we can get to 240 or 250 and back our bowling to defend it. Looking at the start from where we were, 213 is a good score. We would always back our bowling to defend it," Nawaz said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"The square looks a bit tired now as well, and wickets are going to get slower. The side that adapts well to the conditions and holds their nerve will have a better chance of coming out well at the end," he further added.
"It's a bit of a concern that twice in a few days our batting has collapsed," Nawaz said. "Once [we collapsed] at the top, and once in the middle. We'll have to regroup. We'll have to sit down, talk about it and see how we're going to come back in the next game."
Maheesh Theekshana was the leading wicket-taker for Sri Lanka, he took three wickets by conceding 31 runs. Wanindu Hasaranga also picked two wicket by conceding 53 runs.
Talking about Hasaranga and Theekshana, Nawaz said, "The two of them have been bearing a lot of responsibility in our team. They've borne it well through the course of this tournament so far." Nawaz said of Hasaranga and Theekshana."
Batting first, Sri Lanka set a target of 213. The Netherlands were bowled out for 192 and fell short by 21 runs.
Sri Lanka are at the top of the Super Six stage points table with six points. The Netherlands are in fourth place with two points.
In the match, Sri Lanka opted to bat first and were out for 213 in 47.4 overs. The one-time champions lost half of their side for 67 runs.
But a knock from Dhananjaya (93 in 111 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) and contributions from Dimuth Karunaratne (33), Wanindu Hasaranga (20) and Maheesh Theekshana (28) took SL to a 200-plus score.
Logan van Beek (3/26) and Bas de Leede (3/42) were the pick of the bowlers for the Netherlands.
The Netherlands struggled in the chase of 214 and lost their openers Vikramjit Singh and Max o'Dowd for ducks.
Wesley Barresi and Bas de Leede began rebuilding for the Netherlands and brought up a half-century stand for the third wicket. Barresi got his 7th ODI fifty as well.
The Dutch faltered after the wicket of Barresi (52 in 50 balls, with six fours and a six) and were soon five down, needing 87 runs to win. Leede also scored 41 in 53 balls, with three boundaries.
Maheesh Theekshana picked up two wickets in his fifth over to peg back the Netherlands further. But Captain Scott Edwards refused to go down without a fight. He shared crucial stands with the lower order to give his team hope.
However, he was left stranded at the other end on 67* in 68 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes as the Dutch fell 22 runs short of the desired target. The Netherlands finished at 192 in 40 overs.
Theekshana (3/31) and Hasaranga (2/53) were the pick of the bowlers for SL.Dhananjaya got the 'Player of the Match' for his fifty.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
