Sri Lanka had their first World Cup qualifier match against the United Arab Emirates on Monday. Their bowler, Wanindu Hasaranga, took six wickets in the match for 24 runs and helped his unit win the match. Hasaranga’s 6/24 has also become his career-best now. While batting first, Sri Lanka put up a score of 355/6 on board, in which all of their top-order batsmen contributed half centuries. Their middle order batters, Charith Aslanka and Hasaranga, also put up a show, making 48 and 23 runs, respectively, and helping to put up a massive total in 50 overs.
Hasaranga reached a milestone
While bowling,Srilankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed UAE’s three top order batsmen and the team eventually went all out for 180 in 39 overs. On the way to his six-wicket haul, Hasaranga also completed his milestone of 50 wickets in ODI. During the Sri Lankan innings, Kushal Mendis was the star player of the team, as he scored a classy 78 runs off 63 balls and also built a partnership with Sadira Samarawickrama that took their team to a big total. Mendis was dismissed by a catch from a substitute fielder, while Samarawickrama was run out after scoring 73 runs.
Sri Lanka’s middle order didn’t disappoint as well
UAE hoped to limit the score in the last six overs, but Asalanka had other ideas as he smashed boundary after boundary in a scintillating display of finishing and scored 48 unbeaten runs off 23 balls. On the other hand, Hasranga hit three fours and took the score to 355. While batting, UAE’s highest scorers were their skipper Muhammad Waseem and Vriitya Aravind, who scored 39 runs each. Despite the effort, their team couldn’t reach the target as Hasaranga’s fire spin bowling dismissed all their top-order batters one by one.
Oman won their qualifier match against Ireland
Another qualifier match of the day was between Oman and Ireland, where, chasing down the target, Oman defeated Ireland by five wickets and won their first match of the tournament. While batting first, Ireland reached a score of 281/7, with their lower-order batsmen George Dockrell and Harry Tector scoring brilliant 91 and 52 runs, respectively. But Oman’s batsmen Kashyap Prajapati, Aqib Llyas, and Zeeshan Maqsood scored half centuries for their team and helped chase down the target. The win came with 11 balls to spare as Mohammad Nadeem, Ayaan Khan, and Shoib Khan contributed the final runs.
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