Sri Lanka beat the Netherlands by five wickets with 10 balls to spare to become the last team to win a hard-fought World Cup, thanks to Sadira Samarawickrama’s unbeaten 91.
Chasing a 263-run win on Saturday, Samarawickrama enabled Sri Lanka to win with his patient 107-ball knock, adding to his century against Pakistan, as they wrapped up the match in the 49th over.
The Netherlands won the toss and chose to bat first but were soon on the defensive after Sri Lankan fast bowlers Kasun Rajitha and Dilshan Madushanka ran through the top and middle order.
The European side were reeling at 6-91 when Australia-raised skipper Scott Edwards was sent to the pavilion by Mahesh Thekshana, but Siebrand Engelbrecht (70) and Logan van Beek (59) rescued the Dutch side with a 130-run partnership.
The duo took turns batting and took the team to a competitive total but were bowled out for 262 in the final as Rajitha and Madhushanka finished with four wickets each.
In reply, Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka laid the foundation for their chase with a knock of 54 that included nine boundaries but Aryan Dutt gave them three wickets, dismissing Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis cheaply.
Sri Lanka now have two points from four matches, while the Netherlands also have two points but are eighth in the table with a better run rate than Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
