Sri Lanka emerged as the winners of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers final after beating the Netherlands by 128 runs at Harare.
Sri Lanka, who have been in great touch in the one-day format, registered their 10th consecutive win.
Netherlands won the toss and put Sri Lanka in to bat.
Netherlands bowlers did the hard work of restricting the Islanders for 233 runs in 47.5 overs. The batters, however, disappointed and could only put 105 runs on the board, getting bowled out in 23.3 overs.
Sahan Arachchige scored the most runs for Sri Lanka, he made 57 off 71 balls. Maheesh Theekshana collected 4-31 in 6.3 overs and took the last three wickets to end the Netherlands’ hopes.
It wasn’t too much of a disappointment for the Dutch as both teams had already qualified for this year’s 50-over Cricket World Cup in India in October and November by reaching Sunday’s final at Harare Sports Club.
“It’s tricky when you come to these competitions, where everyone is fighting for the same ticket. Strange things happen when the pressure is on,” Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood said. “It’s been great that we have been able to overcome those challenges.”
Sri Lanka, the 1996 World Cup champions, won all eight of its games at the qualifiers to keep its record of playing at every Cricket World Cup since the tournament started in 1975.
