CWC Qualifiers: Maheesh Theekshana claims his second successive four-fer
Sri Lanka's mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana claimed a brilliant four-wicket haul as West Indies were bundled out for 243 in the ninth and final Super Sixes match of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023. The youngster, who claimed his second successive four-fer, returned with figures worth 4/34 in 10 overs. He dismissed three of WI's top-four batters. Here are further details.
A brilliant spell from Theekshana
Theekshana drew the first blood for SL, dismissing opener Brandon King for 10. He then got the better of Shamarh Brooks (2) and skipper Shai Hope (2) as WI were reduced to 81/5. All-rounder Romario Shepherd, who scored 26 off 21 balls, was his final victim of the day. His brilliance meant WI could never accelerate the flow of runs.
Third four-fer in the format
This was Theekshana's third four-fer in the format and second of the tournament. He returned with 4/25 in 8.2 overs against Zimbabwe in his preceding outing. The 22-year-old has raced to 17 wickets in seven games in the ongoing tournament (ER: 3.95). Only his teammate Wanindu Hasaranga (20) owns more wickets. Overall in ODIs, he owns 32 wickets in 21 games (ER: 4.33).
How did WI's innings pan out?
Meanwhile, the contest is a dead rubber as WI have already been knocked out while SL have qualified for the final. Batting first in Harare, Hope's men lost wickets at regular intervals. Keacy Carty's 87 helped them post a somewhat respectable total. The lower-order batters also made vital contributions. Besides Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha also dismissed a couple of batters.
