In a Group B encounter of the World Cup 2023 Qualifier at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Sri Lanka secured a comprehensive 10-wicket victory over Oman. This win marked Sri Lanka’s second victory in the group stage, propelling them to the top of the table with four points from two matches.
Chasing a modest target of 99 runs, Sri Lanka’s openers, Pathum Nissanka (37) and Dimuth Karunaratne (61), provided a solid start to the innings. The duo displayed excellent shot selection and capitalized on loose deliveries. Karunaratne, in particular, continued his remarkable form by scoring his fourth consecutive ODI century. The openers stitched together a 100-run partnership, comfortably guiding Sri Lanka to victory in just 15 overs. This resounding win not only secured the points but also improved Sri Lanka’s net run rate.
Earlier in the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first. Their decision proved fruitful as the combination of Wanindu Hasaranga‘s spin and Lahiru Kumara‘s pace posed significant challenges for the Omani batting lineup. Oman found themselves in trouble right from the beginning and failed to establish any batting rhythm. At one stage, they were struggling at 20/4. However, Jatinder Singh (21) and Ayaan Khan (41) provided some resistance with a 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Ayaan emerged as the top scorer for Oman.
The standout performance of the match came from Hasaranga, who achieved a remarkable feat by claiming his second consecutive five-wicket haul in ODIs. With figures of 5/13 from 7.2 overs, Hasaranga became only the second Sri Lankan bowler to achieve back-to-back fifers in ODIs. The previous player to accomplish this was former pacer Ashantha de Mel in June 1983. Hasaranga’s exceptional bowling played a crucial role in dismantling the Oman side.
With this convincing victory, Sri Lanka not only took a firm hold of the top position in Group B but also positioned themselves favorably for qualification to the Super Six stage of the tournament.
🎉 Winning by 1️⃣0️⃣ wickets 🙌 with 35 overs to spare! 👊
UAE ✅
Oman ✅#SLvOMA #LionsRoar pic.twitter.com/gtxlnOGOw5— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) June 23, 2023
Sri Lanka register a thumping win over Oman: https://t.co/lYo3REnKfD#CWC23 #SLvOMA #worldCupQualifiers #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/URLWBHFF7w
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) June 23, 2023
