Chasing a low total of 99 against Oman, Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka barely broke a sweat, completing the task in 15 overs.
Sri Lanka delivered a dominant performance, defeating Oman by 10 wickets in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifier at the Queens Sports Club in Zimbabwe on Friday. This victory propelled Sri Lanka to the top of Group B, strengthening their position to qualify for the Super Six stage of the tournament.
In pursuit of a modest total of 99, Sri Lanka’s openers, Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka, comfortably achieved the target in just 15 overs. Karunaratne remained unbeaten with 61 runs, while Nissanka contributed 37 not out, and their partnership not only secured a win but also improved Sri Lanka’s net run rate.
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s captain, Dasun Shanaka, won the toss and elected to bowl. This decision paid off immediately as Sri Lanka’s pacers, Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha, made an impressive start, putting immense pressure on Oman’s batsmen.
The Oman top-order struggled against the pace of Kumara and Rajitha. Kashyap Prajapati was the first to fall, dismissed by Kumara who trapped him leg before the stumps. Aqib Ilyas followed, with Rajitha joining the wicket-taking spree.
Kumara continued his relentless performance, removing Zeeshan Maqsood and Mohammad Nadeem in quick succession. Oman found itself in deep trouble at 20 for four.
Ayaan Khan and Jatinder Singh then tried to rebuild Oman’s innings, forming a 52-run partnership. However, their efforts were undone by Wanindu Hasaranga, who bowled one of the standout overs of the Qualifier tournament.
In the 21st over of the innings, Hasaranga secured three wickets without conceding a run. He first trapped Jatinder Singh leg before the stumps for 21, then dismissed Shoaib Khan on the third delivery, and finally cleaned up Jay Odedra on the last ball of the over.
Oman’s situation worsened as a miscommunication between Ayaan Khan and Naseem Khushi resulted in the latter being run out for one run.
At the halfway mark of their innings, Oman was struggling at 84 for eight wickets. Ayaan Khan’s gritty 41 came to an end when Hasaranga took his fourth wicket, thanks to a superb slip catch by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Hasaranga completed his second consecutive five-wicket haul by dismissing Bilal Khan for zero, and Oman was eventually bowled out for just 98 runs.
Brief Score: Sri Lanka 100 for 0 (Karunaratne 61*) beat Oman 98 (Ayaan 41, Hasaranga 5-13, Kumara 3-22) by ten wickets.
Man of the Match: Wanindu Hasaranga
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