By Zainab Shafiq 
Sri Lanka secured their spot in the 50-over Cricket World Cup in India with a dominant nine-wicket victory over hosts Zimbabwe in their qualifier match in Bulawayo. Pathum Nissanka played a remarkable innings, scoring an unbeaten 101, to guide Sri Lanka to a comfortable win.
With this victory, Sri Lanka reached eight points in the Super Six stage of the preliminary tournament, ensuring they cannot finish outside the top two positions. The top two teams from the tournament will earn a place in the World Cup finals scheduled from October 5 to November 19.
Zimbabwe, with six points, still have a chance to qualify, but they must defeat Scotland (four points) in their final game on Tuesday to secure their spot.
Opting to field first, Sri Lanka’s bowlers put up an impressive performance, restricting Zimbabwe to a total of 165 all out in just 32.2 overs. Off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana shone with career-best figures of 4-25, while Dilshan Madushanka claimed 3-15.
In their chase, Sri Lanka looked completely in control, reaching the target with a whopping 101 balls to spare. Pathum Nissanka played a vital role in their victory, smashing his second One-Day International century off just 102 balls.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka expressed his confidence in the team’s ability to qualify for the World Cup and acknowledged the competition provided by other teams in the tournament. He credited his team for being the better side and achieving the qualification.
The qualification of Sri Lanka sets up a clash between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on October 12 in Hyderabad. Pakistan’s schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023 was also revealed, featuring exciting matches against top teams like India, Australia, and England.
Cricket fans can look forward to an intense tournament as these teams battle it out for cricket’s ultimate prize in 2023.
Victoria Hamilton 
Madhavam