Maheesh Theekshana's four-fer followed by Pathum Nissanka's ton helped Sri Lanka beat West Indies by eight wickets with 34 balls to spare in World Cup Qualifiers 2023 clash at Harare Sports Club. While West Indies’ horrendous run in the tournament continued, Sri Lanka remained unbeaten before the final against Netherlands on July 9.
Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to field first. Theekshana got the wicket of Brandon King. He got the wickets of Shamarh Brooks and skipper Shai Hope in consecutive overs to push West Indies on the back foot. Then Johnson Charles got out lbw to Matheesha Pathirana as West Indies were reduced to 62/4. Nicholas Pooran became Dushan Hemantha's victim as West Indies lost half their side for 81 in the 17th over.
Keacy Karty took charge and scored his maiden fifty. He shared crucial partnerships with Romario Shepherd and Kevin Sinclair. Carty got out in the penultimate over. He scored 87 runs from 96 balls including six fours and one six.
Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne got Sri Lanka off to a good start. In first powerplay overs, they put on 56 runs on the board. Nissanka got to his half-century from 50 balls. In the 19th over, Karunaratne’s catch was dropped when he was batting on 40. In the 21st over, Karunaratne got to his 11th half-century from 57 deliveries. In the 31st over, Nissanka reached his century from 106 deliveries. In the 34th over, the opening partnership was broken. Nissanka went for a slogsweep and got caught by Roston Chase. He scored 104 runs from 113 deliveries including 14 fours.
Karunaratne departed soon as well. In the 37th over, Akeal Hosein trapped Karunaratne in front of the wickets. The opener missed out on a century. He scored 83 runs from 92 deliveries including seven fours. Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickerama finished off the run chase in the 45th over.
“I knew that I had to lead the attack today with a couple of young guys in the side. I stuck to my strengths and tried to create pressure. With older ball there is no great support off the pitch, but there are enough chances to pick wickets with the new ball. I was keen to get five wickets but I haven't managed it,” Theekshana said in the post-match presentation after winning the ‘Player of the match’ award.
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