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In an exhilarating encounter at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, the Netherlands and Sri Lanka clashed in the 19th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Netherlands won the toss and elected to bat first in this highly anticipated contest. What ensued was a thrilling showdown, where both teams displayed their cricketing prowess and left fans on the edge of their seats.
Sybrand Engelbrecht powers the Netherlands to a respectable total
The Netherlands’ innings began with Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd taking the crease. Vikramjit managed to score 4 runs from 13 balls, while O’Dowd added 16 runs to the scoreboard. Colin Ackermann played a significant role with 29 runs, Bas de Leede contributed 6 runs, and Teja Nidamanuru and Scott Edwards scored 9 and 16 runs, respectively.
However, the standout performance came from Sybrand Engelbrecht, who notched up an impressive 70 runs off 82 balls. Logan van Beek provided valuable support with 59 runs, and Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren contributed 9 and 4 runs, respectively. The Netherlands posted a total of 262 runs.
The Sri Lankan bowlers showcased their skills, with Dilshan Madushanka and Kasun Rajitha each claiming 4 wickets, conceding 49 and 50 runs, respectively. Chamika Karunaratne and Maheesh Theekshana also played their part with the ball.
Also WATCH: World Cup 2023, NED vs SL – Kusal Perera takes a flying catch to get rid of Bas de Leede
Sadeera Samarawickrama guides Sri Lanka to their first win in the tournament
In pursuit of the target, Sri Lanka’s openers, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera, got their team off to a steady start. Nissanka scored 54 runs, while Kusal Perera contributed 5 runs. Kusal Mendis managed 11 runs before being dismissed, but Sadeera Samarawickrama played a crucial innings of 91 runs off 107 balls.
Charith Asalanka chipped in with 44 runs, and Dhananjaya de Silva‘s aggressive knock of 30 runs from 37 balls kept the momentum going for Sri Lanka. Dushan Hemantha played a brief cameo, adding 4 runs to the total.
Aryan was the pick of the Netherlands’ bowlers, taking 3 wickets for 44 runs. Van Beek and Van Meekeren also made notable contributions, while De Leede and Roelof van der Merwe contained the Sri Lankan batting lineup. Ackermann added to the bowling effort with 1 wicket. In the end, Sri Lanka reached the target, securing a thrilling victory with just 8 balls to spare.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
We secure a much-needed win, defeating Netherlands by five wickets. The #LankanLions are officially off the mark! 🇱🇰🏏 #CWC23 #SLvNED pic.twitter.com/RasDdLTIya
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) October 21, 2023
SRI LANKA WINS THEIR FIRST MATCH OF WORLD CUP 2023.
Sri Lanka defeated Netherlands by 5 wickets – Sadeera is the hero….!!!! pic.twitter.com/pEKL00N1vN
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 21, 2023
First 50 is for you, next 50 is for your team – Russel Arnold pic.twitter.com/8eGjyavFVS
— Azzam Ameen (@AzzamAmeen) October 21, 2023
Sadeera Samarawickrama
An emerging star from Sri Lanka
Good fight shown by Netherlands but were not sufficient against his batting attitude#NEDvSL #CricketWorldCup @SriLankaTweet pic.twitter.com/DO0gHLRvCt— WickedlyFair⚖️ (@WickedlyFair) October 21, 2023
Updated points table after SL win against Netherlands #NEDvSL pic.twitter.com/9SSYpOF564
— Abdul Ghaffar 🇵🇰 (@GhaffarDawnNews) October 21, 2023
That's the first of the tourney for #SriLanka. With this all the participating teams have won a game each. #NEDvSL #ICCCricketWorldCup23 #CWC23
— Anup Bharadwaj (@Anuperfection) October 21, 2023
Srilanka beat Netherlands 1st Win of Srilanka In WorldCup #NEDvSL #WorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/IEcAizpqLd
— Ahsan 🇵🇰 (@ahsan_vibes01) October 21, 2023
Sadeera Samarawickrama making the difference 91* off 107, showing why he is at number four, batted through the innings and was player of the match for a very well organised and composed innings. Credit goes to him the way he batted. Somehow reminded of Mahela Jayawardene.
— Sajawal (@Sajawal28305609) October 21, 2023
Player of the MATCH… Sadeera Samarawickrama #CWC23 #SLvsNED pic.twitter.com/Aj3xZzvOI5
— Waqas Siddique (@WaqasSi88861720) October 21, 2023
Match – 19 | ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets!
Netherlands 262 (49.4)
Sri Lanka 263-5 (48.2)Player of the Match – Sadeera Samarawickrama #SLvNED #CWC23 #Lucknow pic.twitter.com/W3pPBAm5rz
— Thimira Navod (@ImThimira07) October 21, 2023