Cricket: Sri Lanka will travel to India for the 2023 World Cup
Sri Lanka has become the ninth team to qualify for the 2023 Cricket World Cup and has taken the first of two qualifiers spots. Twelve years ago when India won the ODI World Cup on its home soil, Sri Lanka was the other finalist. At that time India, helped by skipper MS Dhoni’s brilliant innings, had surpassed the target set by Sri Lanka with six wickets to spare.
After Sri Lanka’s qualification and elimination of former World Cup champions, West Indies, earlier in the Harare Qualifier tournament, the fight for the second qualifier has gained in intensity.
Zimbabwe are still in the run to make it to the ICC World Cup. All they need is a win against Scotland on Tuesday to gain their first World Cup entry after 2015.
Sri Lanka secured its place at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 by breezing past Zimbabwe in their Super Six encounter on Sunday. Helped by some superb controlled bowling by Maheesh Theekshana (four for 25) and a century by Pathum Nissanka helped Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets. Maheesh Theekshana, who was later named man of the match.
In the day’s other game, lower-order striking from Dipendra Singh Airee rescued Nepal as they defeated the United Arab Emirates by three wickets in the second seventh-place play-off semi-final.
Sri Lanka won the toss but opted to field first. Zimbabwe had a disastrous start in Bulawayo, losing Joylord Gumbie for a five-ball duck before Wessly Madhevere departed for one to leave the Chevrons on eight for two.
Dilshan Madushanka took his third wicket of the morning to dismiss captain Craig Ervine, but in doing so brought the dangerous Sikandar Raza to the crease to join Sean Williams.
Raza played with the patience the situation required before Madushanka took a fine low catch to dismiss the all-rounder for 31 from 51 balls and end the 68-run partnership.
Williams could not add to his back-to-back centuries but did make 56 before he was bowled by Theekshana, who then combined with Matheesha Pathirana (2/18) to clean up the tail.
Zimbabwe’s last five batsmen added only 38 runs with three wickets in six balls drawing the hosts’ innings to a close after 32.2 overs.
In response to an achievable target of 166, Sri Lanka were led by Nissanka who made a run-a-ball fifty in a century partnership with the more watchful Dimuth Karunaratne.
After being dropped on nought by Brad Evans, Dimuth was more cautious and was lucky to survive a review for caught behind on 21.The reprieve inspired Nissanka to power his side forward as he took Evans for three fours in the next over, bringing up his half-century shortly after.
The hundred-partnership arrived in the 19th over as Karunaratne took an easy single to move to 29 before the left-hander was dismissed by Richard Ngarava to leave Sri Lanka at 104 for one.
Nissanka continued to steer Sri Lanka to their total, ably supported by Kusal Mendis who selflessly turned down runs to allow Nissanka a shot at a hundred.
A wide from Wellington Masakadza brought the scores level with Nissanka three short of his second ODI ton before a four off the next ball brought up the milestone and the win, which will see Shanaka’s side head to India for the World Cup in October.
Maheesh Theekshana, Sri Lanka bowler batter and Player of the Match (4/25): “We had a good plan but I think after the first ten overs we hadn’t executed our plans well so sometimes you had to do it for the team. So I came back and had a chat with Dasun and said ‘We need to change something so I just changed something in the field and got a wicket. Because we lost Lahira [Kumara] I knew I had to bowl in the powerplay as well, but Dilshan came into the side and got the first three wickets and he got us the momentum. Sikandar [Raza] and Sean [Williams] were batting brilliantly in that period of time. So when I came back, I knew I had to get a wicket and get it settled down. I executed my plans well then and bowled better areas.”
Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka captain: “Coming for the qualifiers it is always tough, but still, we go through the process and we knew that with the team we have got here that we were going to qualify for the World Cup. Credit to the other teams they played really well in the tournament, some of the teams gave us some good fights in between, but still we are a better side. This bunch of players, they have got their own skills and they utilise the conditions over here really well and that is what is important. Knowing the strength of our bowling and batting, that is the key to success, we stick to our basics really well, whatever the conditions and whatever the situation is.”
On qualifying for the World Cup: “It’s a big achievement but still we know what we have done in the past in World Cups especially, we won the 1996 World Cup and were the 2011 runners-ups. We have been playing amazing cricket in the World Cup so it’s a much-needed thing for Sri Lanka to be up here on that big stage. Yes, there is pressure here but still the pressure begins on the big stage. So I think that the World Cup ahead is the main focus and main target for us, we are waiting to deliver there as well.”
Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe captain: “It was always going to be challenging batting first. But I just thought there were a couple of soft dismissals in that first 10 overs, but obviously losing three wickets put us on the backfoot early. Theekshana is a veteran for Sri Lanka and he’s done it on numerous occasions. I thought that partnership between Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza got us slowly back into the game. And then he came on and basically just destroyed us and that middle order and unfortunately, we couldn’t recover from those collapses in the middle.”
On the game against Scotland on Tuesday: “I don’t think we need to prepare any differently to what we’ve been doing over the tournament. We have been playing some really good cricket over the last few games and obviously today Sri Lanka were much better than us.”
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