Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 21 (ANI): Following his side’s five-wicket win over the Netherlands in their ICC Cricket World Cup match, Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis lauded batters Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama for their match-winning fifties and added that there are plenty of positives from the win.
The fifties from Sadeera Samarawickrama and Pathum Nissanka guided Sri Lanka to their first win in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, as they defeated the Netherlands in a closely-fought match by five wickets at Lucknow on Saturday.
“Very happy today. We did really well in everything. The bowlers did really well in the first ten overs. The pitch started turning a bit towards the end of the match. Sadeera batted really well. Pathum and Sadeera batted really well, and so did Charith Asalanka. There are a lot of positives in the batting,” said Kusal in a post-match presentation.
Coming to the match, the Netherlands opted to bat first and put on 262 runs in their 49.4 overs. At one point, the Dutch were at 91/6, but Sybrand (70 in 82 balls, with four boundaries and one six) and Logan (59 in 75 balls, with one four and one six) helped the Netherlands recover and put up a competitive score.
Dilshan Madhushanka (4/49) and Kasun Rajitha (4/50) were the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka.
In the chase of 263, Sri Lanka had some hiccups but knocks from Sadeera Samarawickrama (91* in 107 balls with seven fours), Pathum Nissanka (54 in 52 balls with nine fours) and Charith Asalanka (44 in 66 balls with two fours and six) guided SL to a win.
Aryan Dutt (3/44) was the pick of the bowlers for the Netherlands.
Sri Lanka is in the ninth spot with two points, getting their first win in the tournament. The Netherlands is at eight spot, with one win and three losses. They have two points as well. (ANI)
