Hasaranga career-best floors UAE
A collective performance with the bat and Wanindu Hasaranga’s maiden five-wicket haul in ODI’s helped Sri Lanka make a statement as they began their World Cup Qualifiers campaign with a massive 175-run victory over the UAE. Having posted 355/6, with half-centuries from their top four, Sri Lanka bowled the UAE out for 180. Hasaranga finished with career-best figures of 6-24 with the UAE batters failing to pick the Sri Lankan spinner. Having been asked to bat, Sri Lanka got off to a good start with Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne adding 95 for the opening wicket. Karunaratne was the quicker of the two as he struck seven fours before getting out to Aayan Khan for a 54-ball 52. Nissanka took 66 balls for his fifty before being bowled by Basil Hameed. Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama then put on 105 for the third wicket, taking only 79 deliveries for their partnership to provide a good platform for Sri Lanka. Mendis’s outing, which included 10 fours, was ended by Ali Naseer on 78 while Samarawickrama was also run out in the 70s. Sri Lanka lost quick wickets in the death overs but Charith Asalanka’s blitz – 48 not out off 23, with five fours and two sixes – and Wanindu Hasaranga’s entertaining cameo of 23* off 12, powered Sri Lanka past the 350 mark. UAE started off in a steady fashion in the chase before Rohan Mustafa was out caught and bowled off Lahiru Kumara. Wanindu Hasaranga then ended a promising stand between Muhammad Waseem and Vriitya Aravind, getting rid of the former, and followed it up with the wicket of Basil Hameed in the same over. Hasaranga bagged another, sending Asif Khan back, to leave the UAE at 99/4, which became 119/5 when Aravind fell to Dhananjaya de Silva. Ali Naseer tried to fight for the UAE but Hasaranga kept chipping away as he bagged a five-wicket haul for the first time in ODIs and finished it off with one more to bowl Sri Lanka to a huge victory. Brief scores: Sri Lanka 255/6 in 50 overs (Kusal Mendis 78, Sadeera Samarawickrama 73; Ali Naseer 2-44) beat UAE 180 in 39 overs (Muhammad Waseem 39, Vriitya Aravind 39; Wanindu Hasaranga 6-24) by 175 runs (Cricbuzz)
