BULAWAYO: Sri Lankan bowlers put on a scintillating show and defended a modest total to muscle their side to a resounding 82-run victory over Scotland in the 19th match of the Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier on Tuesday.

Put into bat first, the Sri Lankan batting lineup could not fire as anticipated and accumulated a modest 245 before being bowled out in the final over.

Sri Lankan openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis scripted a flying start by charging on the Scottish bowlers right from the start. Their domination, however, did not last long as Chris Sole castled Karunaratne in the fifth over, who could score just seven off nine deliveries. Sri Lanka then lost another wicket in the form of Kusal Mendis (one from 16) in the ninth over with just 43 runs on the scoreboard.

Following two back-to-back blows, Sadeera Samarawickrama offered subtle support to opener Pathum Nissanka, who managed to remain firm at the crease.

The pair anchored Sri Lanka’s innings before Samarawickrama perished in the 20th over after scoring 26 off 35. Nissanka then joined forces with Dhananjaya de Silva and put on an important 44-run partnership before finally perishing in the 29th over. He remained the top-scorer for Sri Lanka with 75 off 85 deliveries, hitting 10 boundaries.

Following his dismissal, Charith Assalanka walked out to bat and stitched a crucial partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva when Sri Lanka were reeling at 142/4 in the 29th over.

Click to watch CWC Qualifier Live on ARY ZAP

The pair added 61 runs to Sri Lanka’s total before the side ran into a collapse and soon bundled out for a mere 245 runs in the final over. Assalanka, who perished in the 41st over remained the second top-scorer for Sri Lanka with a 65-ball 63 which included four boundaries and two sixes.

Chris Greaves led the bowling attack for Scotland with 4/32 followed by Mark Watt’s 3/52.

Set to chase 246, Scotland’s batting lineup failed completely and could only accumulate 163 runs before getting booked in 29 overs. Star with the ball Chris Greaves also found himself among runs with the bat and scored a fighting half-century down the order. He top-scored for Scotland with a brisk 56 off 41 deliveries, smashing seven boundaries and two sixes. His gutsy knock, however, could not steer Scotland to glory as the rest of their batters failed to contribute significantly in the run chase.

Maheesh Theekshana was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka as he took three wickets for 41 runs while Wanindu Hasarnga made two scalps.

Published in The Daily National Courier, June, 28 2023

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.