Srilanka qualifies for World Cup 2023, defeats Zimbabwe by nine wickets

Sri Lankan team has qualified for the World Cup after a strong performance in the ICC World Cup Qualifier event on Saturday. The Sri Lankan team has made it to the top 10 teams of the ICC World Cup on the back of their stupendous and unstoppable performance in the Qualifier event. Sri Lanka thrashed hosts Zimbabwe in a Super Six encounter.

 

After this victory, Sri Lanka will now participate in the World Cup tournament to be held in India from October 5. In this match, at the beginning of the day, the Sri Lankan team won the toss and captured the match. Dilshan Madushanka and Mahesh Thikshana dominated Zimbabwe to bundle them out for a meager score of just 165 and did not give them a chance to score big.

 

The home side had nothing to do after this, and were completely shut down by the latter’s century partnership of the openers. The Sri Lankan team performed strongly in this match played against Zimbabwe. Sri Lankan batsmen Pathum Nissanka single-handedly led the way with his unbeaten century as they chased down the target in just 33.1 overs to win by nine wickets.

 

Madushanka starred with the new ball for Sri Lanka in the match for the qualifiers and justified captain Dasun Shanaka’s decision to bowl first. He took three wickets in his opening spell. However, for the fourth wicket, the Zimbabwean pair of Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza showed a good game. En route to their 68-run partnership, the former also brought up his half-century, but Shanaka provided the breakthrough, before Thiekshana tore apart the middle and lower order with figures of 4 for 25.

 

With this win, Sri Lanka is the ninth team to qualify for the World Cup to be held in India. Now only one team is left for this tournament. Zimbabwe’s fate will now depend on the outcome of their final Super Six match against Scotland next week.

Shanaka said after the match that coming into the qualifiers is always difficult. But even if you go through the process, the team that we’ve come here with, we know we’re going to qualify.