Harare [Zimbabwe], July 9 : Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards emphasised on the need for his team to deal with spinners better after Sri Lanka cruised through victory in the final of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier final on Sunday.
Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga ripped apart the Dutch batting line-up as the spinner duo combined to claim six wickets.
The Netherlands bundled out for a score of 105 and their inability to deal with the spin duo was one of the major reasons for their downfall.
In the post-match presentation, Edwards reflected on this fact and said, "It is a high-intensity tournament. Very proud of the boys, we've played some really good cricket. Excited for the next few months. We were still here to win the game. Credit to the bowlers, we kept them to a target we could chase but we obviously need to play the spinners better."
Even though the Dutch ended the tournament on a bitter note, they still ended up qualifying for the ODI World Cup 2023 which will be played in India in October this year.
Edwards is backing his side to pull off some exceptional performances as they inch closer towards the competition.
"Guys have stepped up when they had to, that's why we are going to India. That WI chase, we took a lot of confidence from that. It is massive for the guys, for our supporters and for Dutch cricket. The opportunity to play in a 10-team World Cup is massive for us. Hopefully, we can put in some good performances in India," Edwards signed off.
Coming to the match, Netherlands managed to restrict Sri Lanka to a chasable score of 233. In response, they struggled to stitch up partnerships and Theekshana, Madushanka and Hasaranga made short work of the Dutch batting line-up to ensure that their team ended the tournament unbeaten.
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