The Netherlands pulled off a remarkable victory over Scotland in a thrilling match to secure their spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, marking their return to the tournament after a gap of 12 years since the 2011 edition. They will now face Sri Lanka in the final, seeking to avenge their loss to them in the Super Six stage.
After 33 matches and 21 days of intense competition, the tournament, which began with 10 teams, has reached its climax with Sri Lanka and the Netherlands emerging as the finalists. The tournament witnessed several exciting games, with underdog teams exceeding expectations and causing upsets. Meanwhile, the once-dominant West Indies disappointed with defeats against Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Sri Lanka, further highlighting their decline in white-ball cricket.
The Netherlands, Zimbabwe, and Scotland were particularly impressive in the tournament, pushing the stronger teams to their limits and securing victories against formidable opponents. Scotland and Zimbabwe may feel unfortunate not to have qualified considering the tournament’s limited size, but they can take pride in their performances. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, was expected to be among the teams qualifying for the World Cup, but the Dutch managed to defeat Scotland in a thrilling chase of 278 runs in just 42.5 overs.
The Netherlands had a missed opportunity in one of their Super Six matches against Sri Lanka, which they should have won. They now aim to avenge that loss and finish what they started by claiming the World Cup qualifiers title.
For viewers in India, the World Cup Qualifiers 2023 final between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands will commence at 12:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Sunday, July 9. The match will take place at the Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe. Indian fans can watch the final live on Star Sports TV network, and the streaming will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
Here are the squads for both teams:
Sri Lanka:
- Pathum Nissanka
- Dimuth Karunaratne
- Kusal Mendis (wicket-keeper)
- Sadeera Samarawickrama
- Charith Asalanka
- Sahan Arachchige
- Dasun Shanaka (captain)
- Dushan Hemantha
- Maheesh Theekshana
- Dilshan Madushanka
- Matheesha Pathirana
- Dhananjaya de Silva
- Dushmantha Chameera
- Chamika Karunaratne
- Kasun Rajitha
- Wanindu Hasaranga
- Lahiru Kumara
Netherlands:
- Vikramjit Singh
- Max ODowd
- Wesley Barresi
- Bas de Leede
- Teja Nidamanuru
- Scott Edwards (wicket-keeper/captain)
- Saqib Zulfiqar
- Logan van Beek
- Ryan Klein
- Aryan Dutt
- Clayton Floyd
- Vivian Kingma
- Shariz Ahmad
- Michael Levitt
- Noah Croes