Sri Lanka ended their four-game losing streak as they defeated the Netherlands by five wickets and were led by Sedeera Samarawickrama. The island nation ended up with 263/5 with 48.3 overs, while the Dutch finished with 262 runs with 49.4 overs.
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The Rundown: Netherlands vs Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka defeated the Netherlands by five wickets to win the World Cup for their first win. The Netherlands scored 262 runs after receiving the toss and opting to bat, but in Lucknow, they were dismissed for little more than two runs in the final over.
Samarawickrama’s 91 Guides Sri Lanka to Victory
In the powerplay, right-arm seamer Kasun Rajitha (4-50) scored again to dismiss Netherlands openers Vikram Singh (four) including Max O’Dowd (16), while Sybrand Engelbrecht (70) and Logan van Beek (59) at the 7th wicket enabled the Dutch to get beyond 200.
Rajitha and left-arm fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka of the island nation were the most successful bowlers, each getting four wickets.
As a response, Sri Lanka got off to a great start, led by middle-order batsman Samarawickrama, who scored a crucial 91 runs without being dismissed while hitting seven fours, and Pathum Nissanka (54) who smashed nine boundaries.
While Sri Lanka had made an excellent start with the ball, Van Beek and Engelbrecht put together the highest seventh-wicket stand in men’s ODI World Cup history, totaling 130 runs off 143 deliveries, with the latter scoring his first ODI fifty.
Narrow Defeat for the Dutch
In the 46th over, Madushanka made the crucial penetration when a yorker-length ball he bowled struck the underside of Engelbrecht’s middle stump.
After hitting Rajitha clean towards midwicket three overs later, all-rounder van Beek was out, and Paul van Meekeren (who had scored four runs) got out at the wicket of the non-striker on an empty ball as Madushanka took his last target.
Aryan Dutt, a right-arm off-spin bowler, exacted some retaliation by taking two wickets during the powerplay and dismissing Sri Lanka’s captains Kusal Mendis (11) and Kusal Perera (5), leaving them on 52-2.
44 more runs were scored by Charith Asalanka, yet Dutt struck again in his penultimate over as the 26-year-old tried to make a powerful slog sweep but did not work, and the delivery crashed into his middle stump.
When Sri Lanka had only 21 runs further in the 46th over, Dhananjaya de Silva smacked van Beek for two massive sixes to reduce the number of required runs to nine.
Hemantha helped his team secure a significant victory with one over remaining by smashing a boundary to mid-on off Ackermann.
Player of the Game: Sedeera Samarawickrama
Sadeera Samarawickrama, a battered player for Sri Lanka, emphasized that the squad has no room to commit any errors in their upcoming World Cup games.
By beating the Netherlands in Lucknow by a margin of five wickets, the island nation achieved their maiden victory.
With an unbeaten 91, Samarawickrama was instrumental in helping Sri Lanka reach their goal of 263 with 10 balls remaining and was named “Player of the Match”.
This victory was over a powerful Dutch squad that had just stunned South Africa in their last game.
Netherlands vs Sri Lanka Score
| Netherlands | Sri Lanka |
| 262(49.4 overs) | 263/5(48.2 overs) |
| Sri Lanka defeated Netherlands by 5 wickets with 10 balls left to snap their four-game losing streak | |
Due to their undefeated ODI cricket record over the Netherlands, Sri Lanka has prevailed in this match in previous seasons.
The action continues as the Netherlands will face Australia this Wednesday in Delhi, while Sri Lanka will compete against struggling defending champions England in Bengaluru.
The competition is likely to get more intense, which will heighten the excitement. As the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup gets underway, sign up at the best cricket betting sites today! And enjoy the most of it.