Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga delivered career best figures to help Sri Lanka make an emphatic start to their ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier campaign with a 175-run win over the United Arab Emirates in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Chasing a formidable 356 to win, the UAE made a respectable effort, until Hasaranga took three wickets over two overs and derailed the oppositions’ chase.
In his third over, Hasaranga dismissed the dangerous UAE captain Muhammad Waseem for 39 and then trapped Basil Hameed leg before wicket.
In his next over, Hasaranga had Asif Khan also trapped in front of the stumps, as the UAE slipped from 82 for one in 16 overs, to 94 for four in the space of three overs.
Vriitya Aravind was also given out leg before wicket 25 runs later, although that was to Dhananjaya de Silva after making a valiant 39 off 55 deliveries.
A-68 run partnership between Rameez Shahzad and ALi Naseer showed that UAE were not prepared to give in, before Maheesh Theekshana bowled the latter for 34.
That triggered another collapse, as Rameez Shahzad was castled by Hasaranga and Karthik Meiyappan was run out two balls later.
The wrist-spinner picked up the last two wickets in his next over to complete a haul of six for 24.
Earlier, half centuries from Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne took Sri Lanka to a formidable score of 355 for six.
Meanwhile, minnows Oman, coached by former Sri Lanka captain Duleep Mendis, pulled off a massive upset by beating Ireland by five wickets in their opening World Cup qualifier in Bulawayo.
It was the Gulf sultanate’s first-ever victory over a Test nation in an ODI.
