Harare [Zimbabwe], July 9 : Sri Lanka maintained their unbeaten run to defeat the Netherlands in a subtle fashion and win the Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 final on Sunday at the Harare Sports Club.
Once again it was the magic of Sri Lanka spinners that inflicted pressure on the Netherlands batting unit and ensure their downfall.
Dilshan Madushanka kicked off the proceedings in the second innings, by dismissing Vikramjit for 13. Madushanka then went on to dismiss Wesley Baressi for a duck, by sending his middle stump flying in the air.
The leading wicket-taker of the tournament, Wanindu Hasaranga didn't waste much time to get into the action. He introduced himself by trapping Teja Nidamanuru in front of the wicket to end his tournament with a duck.
Five balls later Madushanka got better of Noah Croes for 7. The ball struck the pads before his bat could come down in time right in front of the wicket.
Netherlands would then go on to lose their fifth inside the powerplay as skipper Scott Edwards was run out for 1. The procession continued with Saqib Zulfiqar falling prey to the brilliance of Hasaranga.
At the 15-over mark, Netherlands were facing all kinds of trouble at 64/6 with Max O'Dowd (22*) and Logan van Been (4*) at the crease.
O'Dowd's knock of 33 finally came to an end as Maheesh Theekshana got into the thick of the action. Theekshana ran riots after claiming his first scalp. He trapped Ryan Klein for an lbw to get his second wicket of the match. Theekshana struck in the same over again, getting his third with another lbw of Aryan Dutt (0).
Theekshana finished things off for Sri Lanka, bowling Clayton Floyd for 9, as Netherlands were bowled out for 105 and Sri Lanka emerged as the winners of the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Earlier in the match, after winning the toss, Sri Lanka had a solid platform in tricky conditions, courtesy of a decent opening stand between Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
The pair looked comfortable before Vikramjit Singh was brought into the attack. Following a drive shot from Samarawickrama, Croes took a brilliant catch at short extra cover, with the batter walking back for 19.
The medium pace of Singh did the trick again as Nissanka flicked the ball straight to fine leg, Aryan Dutt took a sensational catch to end Nissanka's stay at the crease.
Kusal Mendis and Sahan Arachchige started the rebuild for Sri Lanka, by increasing the run rate slowly and steadily.
The pair looked in good form as the stand reached the 72-run mark.
Saqib Zulfiqar, against the run of play, claimed Mendis's wicket as the batter missed a sweep and was trapped lbw for 43. He decided to review the call but it was in vain.
The contest was in the balance at the halfway mark, with Sri Lanka's score reading 124/3.
Arachchige, joined by Charith Asalanka on the crease established another vital partnership for Sri Lanka but failed to turn it into a big one. The pair had a stand of 64 before Zulfiqar struck again to dismiss Arachchige for a well-made 57.
This wicket brought about a collapse for the Lankans, as the Netherlands rose from the ashes and jumped back to life.
In the same Zulfiqar over, Asalanka lost his wicket to a close run out for 36. The next over would bring the wicket of Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka, following a simple catch by Vikramjit.
Dhananjaya de Silva was the next to follow with a score for a score of 4 which left Sri Lanka reeling.
The four quick wickets ensured that Sri Lanka would fall short of the massive score they were targeting after a decent start.
The tail along with Wanindu Hasaranga did their best to ensure that Sri Lanka added as many runs as possible. Hasaranga chipped in with vital 29 runs.
Maheesh Theekshana (13) and Matheesha Pathirana were the other batters to be dismissed as a brilliant Dutch performance ensured that Sri Lanka were bowled out for 233 in 47.5 overs.
Brief Score: Sri Lanka 233 (Arachchige 57, Mendis 43, Asalanka 36; Vikramjit 2-12) vs Netherlands 105 (O'Dowd 33, Logan van Beek 20*; Theekshana 4-31).
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