Sri Lanka on Sunday inflicted a humiliating 128-run defeat on the Netherlands in the final of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers at the Harare Sports Club.
Sri Lanka — who remained unbeaten in the Super Six stage — posted 233 on the scoreboard while batting first. Sahan Arachchige top-scored for the Lankan Tigers scoring 57 off 71 deliveries.
The Netherlands could not stand in front of Sri Lanka’s bowling as they were all-out for just 105 runs. Only three Dutch batters managed to get into double figures.
Dilshan Madushanka was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding bowling figures as he took three wickets for just 18 runs.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Mahesh Theeksana of Sri Lanka were the top wicket takers of the tournament with 22 and 21 wickets respectively.
Sri Lanka and the Netherlands have qualified for the World Cup and thus, will play in India in October. The Dutch also eliminated West Indies — who failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in history — from the race.
It must be noted that 10 teams will fight for the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final.
The tournament will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
