HARARE: Sri Lanka extended their unbeaten streak in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier with a dominant eight-wicket win over the West Indies on Friday. Pathum Nissanka’s century guided Sri Lanka to an easy victory, chasing down the West Indies’ target of 243 with 5.4 overs to spare.
Despite already securing their qualification for the World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in India later this year, Sri Lanka maintained their winning momentum. They displayed a strong bowling performance, dismissing the West Indies for 243 runs.
The West Indies, who had already been eliminated from the tournament after disappointing losses to Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, and Scotland, had a forgettable campaign. Captain Shai Hope urged his team to leave the tournament behind and focus on improving their performance for future matches.
Sri Lanka to Face Netherlands
With the Netherlands sealing the second qualifying spot for the World Cup after a thrilling victory over Scotland, Sri Lanka will face them in the final match on Sunday. Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka expressed confidence in his team’s performance and emphasized the need to focus on their own game rather than worry about the result.
In the match against the West Indies, Sri Lanka’s bowlers shone as spinner Maheesh Theekshana took four wickets, restricting their opponents to 123-7 at one stage. Despite a respectable 87 by Keacy Carty, the West Indies struggled to post a competitive total.
Sri Lanka’s chase was comfortable throughout, with opener Pathum Nissanka impressing once again with a brilliant century. His opening partner Dimuth Karunaratne contributed 83 runs in a commanding first-wicket partnership of 190. Though both batsmen were eventually dismissed, Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama guided Sri Lanka to an emphatic victory.
