ICC World Cup: Sadeera Samarawickrama clocks his second fifty-plus score
A well-paced half-century from Sadeera Samarawickrama powered Sri Lanka to an emphatic five-wicket triumph over Netherlands in Match 19 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. The right-handed batter extended his sensational run and scored an unbeaten 91 off 107 balls. His knock was laced with seven boundaries. His brilliance meant the Lankans comfortably chased down the 263-run target in Lucknow. Here is more.
A well-paced knock from Samarawickrama
Samarawickrama arrived in the middle with the scorecard reading 52/2. He stitched an important 52-run stand with Pathum Nissanka (54) for the third wicket as SL went past the 100-run mark. Samarawickrama continued the good work and added 77 more runs with Charith Asalanka (44). His 76-run partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva (30) proved to be decisive as SL comfortably crossed the line.
Second WC fifty-plus score for Samarawickrama
Samarawickrama, who hammered his maiden ODI ton (108) versus Pakistan earlier in the tournament, slammed his second 50-plus score in the ongoing WC. Overall, this was his sixth fifty in the format as the batter has now raced to 845 runs in 27 games at an average of 38.40. His tally in the ongoing event reads 230 runs at 76.66.
How did the game pan out?
Netherlands's top-order batters surrendered against the Lankan pacers as the Dutch side was reduced to 91/6. However, Sybrand Engelbrecht and Logan van Beek's 130-run stand helped them finish at 262/10. Dilshan Madushanka and Kasun Rajitha claimed four wickets apiece. In reply, SL lost two early wickets. However, Nissanka and Samarawickrama played handy knocks as SL crossed the line in 48.2 overs.
