The Sri Lankans are the latest team to register points on the board with a comfortable win against the Dutch. The much-depleted Lankan side bowled impressively throughout the best of the first innings and later showed maturity with the bat to cross the finishing line easily. The Dutch exceeded expectations with a massive upset against the South Africans in their last outing, they also channeled inner fighting spirits to end the day with a lot of positives. It was an entertaining game for the Neutrals despite most of the headlines being reserved for England vs South Africa’s thrilling encounter.
Team Lineups
The Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka is still out with a thigh injury. Kusal Mendis takes the mantle of the skipper for the second game in a row. Sri Lanka made two changes to their playing eleven. Dushan Hemantha came in for the promising Dunith Wellalage. Pacer Kasun Rajitha takes the place of Lahiru Kumara.
The Netherlands played with an unchanged squad from their historic victory against the Proteas. It was a team that heavily relied on the effectiveness of the spinners. The Dutch captain Scott Edwards said the team was eyeing a semi-final spot.
Sri Lanka
- Pathum Nissanka 2. Kusal Perera 3. Kusal Mendis (Cap.) (WK) 4. Sadeera Samarawickrama 5. Charith Asalanka 6. Dhananjaya de Silva 7. Dushan Hemantha 8. Chamika Karunaratne 9. Mahesh Theekshana 10. Kasun Rajitha 11. Dilshan Madushanka
Netherlands
- Vikramjit Singh 2. Max O’Dowd 3. Colin Ackermann 4. Bas de Leede 5. Teja Nidamanuru 6. Scott Edwards (Cap.) (WK) 7. Sybrand Engelbrecht 8. Logan van Beek 9. Roelof van der Merwe 10. Aryan Dutt 11. Paul van Meekeren
The Netherlands captain Scott Edwards won the toss and elected to bat first on a Lucknow surface which looked to be in perfect condition for batting. There would be some assistance for the spin bowlers at the later stages of the game. There was also a hint of early on, a sign of encouragement for the seamers.
Fixture
| Venue | The 19th game of the 2023 World Cup was played at the Ekana Sports City in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh |
| Date | The game started from 10:30 pm IST on Saturday, October 21 |
Captaincy & Tactics
Kusal Mendis was the acting captain in the absence of Dasun Shanaka. Mendis attacked the Dutch order with pace bowling and an aggressive fielding setup. This approach yielded fantastic results as the Netherlands were reduced to 91/6 after 22 overs. But the spin bowlers let the control slip during the middle overs with bowling regular loose deliveries. Chamika Karunaratne’s plot of using the slower delivery was quickly exposed and he conceded 58 runs from his 9 overs.
Netherlands’ tactic of using Aryan Dutt has been a successful one so far with the off-spinner delivering regular wickets in the powerful. He along with Logan Van Beek and Paul van Meekeren did not let Sri Lanka out of sight during the powerplay. However, the middle-over bowling was not tight enough to stem the flow of runs taken by the batsmen.
The Sri Lankans were happy to rotate the strike by playing the ball along the ground. The absence of another quality spinner to support Aryan Dutt was evident, the medium pacers and the part-timers conceded at a steep rate.
Batting Analysis
After the early departure of Vikramjit Singh, Max O’Dowd, and Colin Ackermann started timing the ball well to give the innings some momentum. But the partnership of 41 from 38 balls saw a premature end after Max O’Dowd chopped an inswinger from Rajitha into his stumps.
Colin Ackermann edged one to the wicketkeeper. Bas de Leede never looked comfortable during his 20-ball stay and was eventually caught at third man. Teja Nidamanuru was trapped in front of the wickets from a brilliant delivery by Madushanka. The Dutch innings was reduced to 91-6 when Logan van Beek came to bat.
The partnership of 130 runs is a new record for 7th wicket or lower at the World Cups. Engelbrecht was cautious early on, he started playing shots after getting himself set. The South African-born batsman played the cover drive well, scoring 16 runs through this particular shot. He was also looking to rotate the strike with 36 singles to his name.
Logan van Beek scored the first half-century of his ODI career, surpassing his previous career best of 37 runs by a comfortable margin. Only 10 of his 59 runs came from boundaries. The Netherlands finished with a fighting total of 262 runs to challenge the Lankans.
The Sri Lankans cruised to victory easily with the help of a magnificent innings by Sadeera Samarawickrama. The talented right-hander has been impressive with the bat by scoring a century in the Asia Cup last month. He averages 38.40 in his ODI career, scoring 845 runs at a healthy strike rate of 93.47.
Samarawickrama had a 92% control throughout his innings, he played predominantly on the back foot. Cutting the ball late was his most favorite stroke of the innings, he gathered 23 runs from cuts.
Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva partnered with Samarawickrama making sure Sri Lanka would not hit any roadblocks throughout the chase. The 4th wicket partnership of 77 runs followed by a 76 stand for the fourth built the foundation for victory. Asalanka relinquished his normal destructive self to score runs at a 66.67 strike rate.
Bowling Analysis
Dilshan Madushanka seems to be a fine discovery for Sri Lanka cricket with his ability to swing the ball during the powerplay. The tall fast bowler reminded the Lankan fans of a certain Chaminda Vaas. He has picked up 21 wickets so far from his 82 overs in his career, averaging just 21.51. His prowess of bowling during the death overs also deserves appreciation, he picked up the valuable wicket of Engelbrecht with the old ball.
Kasun Rajitha had a career ravaged by recurrent injuries which halted his career on numerous occasions. He picked up the pair of O’Dowd and Ackermann to put the Dutch in a spot of bother early on. He returned during the final overs to prise out Logan van Beek. Rajitha finished the day with 4 wickets for 50 runs.
Mahesh Theekshana has yet to show his usual outstanding self but the signs are impressive. He produced a dream delivery for an off-spinner, bowling Edwards through the gate. Dushan Hemantha failed to justify his selection over Wellalage. Karunaratne’s limited ability with the ball demonstrated how important Shanaka is to this side.
Aryan Dutt has been a breath of fresh air in this high-scoring World Cup. The right-arm spinner has claimed 6 wickets at an average of 28.83 in this World Cup campaign. His economy rate is also impressive, a meager 4.94 per over.
Dutt likes to maintain a tight line while bowling at the stumps during the powerplay. He dismissed Perera and Mendis early on but could have had a third by dismissing Samarawickrama. He would eventually claim his third by bowling Asalanka out.
Colin Ackermann and Paul van Meekeren both finished with a wicket to their names. The pace bowling department failed to build a head of steam after the early heroics from Dutt. Logan Van Beek conceded 57 runs from his 10 overs. Roelof van der Merwe was accurate with an economy rate of 4.67, however, he produced little to claim a breakthrough.
Fielding Analysis
The Sri Lankan fielders were athletic and agile to back up the bowling effort. The veteran opener Kusal Perera showed remarkable athleticism when he dived forward at third man region to dismiss Bas de Leede. Kusal Mendis had to adjust his feet in time to grab onto the deflection from Roelof van der Merwe’s gloves. Charith leaped in the air at midwicket like a salmon to finish a magnificent catch at midwicket to put an end to Logan Van Beek’s resilient innings.
Scott Edwards produced a moment of magic to grab onto the catch of Kusal Medis. The Dutch skipper dived to his right and pouched the ball safely to complete a fine catch. But the wicketkeeper was caught off guard when he missed the stumping chance to dismiss Samarawickrama early. Bas de Leede finely caught Kusal Perera in the earlier exchanges of the innings.
Key Performances
Sybrand Engelbrecht and Logan van Beek displayed the peak of Dutch determination with a record-breaking partnership of 130 runs. Engelbrecht scored 70 before getting bowled by Madushanka, van Beek accumulated 59 off 75 balls before falling to Rajitha. Dilshan Madushanka continued his impressive run of form with 4 wickets for 49 runs. The returning Rajitha also claimed 4 scalps through a fine spell of fast bowling.
Sadeera Samarawickrama was the star of the innings with an unbeaten 91 from 107 balls. Asalanka provided support with 44 runs to his name, de Silva was also handy with a score of 30. Aryan Dutt was useful with the new ball once again, he picked up 3 for 44 from 10 overs. Paul van Meekeren and Colin Ackermann got a wicket apiece as Netherlands capitulated during the final overs.
Turning Point
Aryan Dutt produced a brilliant delivery to dismiss the in-form Kusal Mendis to claim the second wicket of the innings. Sadeera Samarawickrama came to the pitch and was careful in his first two deliveries. Aryan Dutt bowled a magnificent on the final delivery of the powerplay – a fizzing delivery that flew past the onrushing Samarawickrama who came down the track.
The bowl turned and bounced to bamboozle the batsman who was left stranded out of his crease. But wicketkeeper Scott Edwards was unable to gather the bowl as it fizzed past time to the boundary. Sri Lanka would have been reduced to 51-3 after 10 overs in pursuit of a decent target. Samarawickrama finished the match in an unbeaten 91 to guide his country over the finishing line. The Dutch were left to rue over a missed opportunity that eventually cost them the match.
Match Result
Sri Lanka registered their first win of the tournament by beating the Netherlands by five wickets.
Player of the Match
Sadeera Samarawickrama won the Best Player of the Match award for his match-defining knock of 91 from 107 deliveries.
Brief Scorecard
| Netherlands Total: 262/10 (49.4 overs) | Sri Lanka Total: 263/5 (48.2 overs) |
| Sybrand Engelbrecht 70 (82) | Sadeera Samarawickrama 91* (107) |
| Logan van Beek 59 (75) | Pathum Nissanka 54 (52) |
| Dilshan Madushanka 4/49 | Aryan Dutt 3/44 |
| Kasun Rajitha 4/50 | Colin Ackermann 1/39 |
Match Highlights
Match Wrap-Up
The Sri Lankan fans finally found something to smile about after a disastrous start to the World Cup which followed a shambolic Asia Cup final performance. Pace bowlers Rajitha and Madushanka picked four scalps apiece to restrict the Dutch within a manageable total. The Sri Lankan innings was plain sailing with Samarawickrama leading the run chase. The Netherlands can take a lot of positives from this game after the record-breaking effort from Engelbrecht and van Beek for the seventh-wicket partnership. This game makes Sri Lanka’s next encounter with England a mouth-watering prospect with both teams looking to keep their dwindling World Cup hopes alive.
