LUCKNOW: Thanks to a gritty, unbeaten 91 by Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sri Lanka managed to register their maiden victory in the World Cup on Saturday after enduring three losses on the trot. The day belonged to Samarawickrama who held his nerves to score an unbeaten 91 off 107 deliveries to guide Sri Lanka to a clinical five-wicket win over the Netherlands.
Pathum Nissanka (54 off 52 balls) set the stage for Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka who had a 77-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
The Netherlands did not have a good start and at one time were tottering at 91/6. A 130-run stand between Sybrand Engelbrecht and Logan van Beek ensured that the team scored a decent total of 262.
Chasing, Sri Lanka also had their own struggle as they lost skipper Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera cheaply. It was then left to Sarawekerema as Sri Lanka successfully chased the target with 10 balls to spare.
There was no way Sri Lanka could have taken the Dutch lightly as the latter had come here after upsetting South Africa in Dharamshala in their previous match. However, spinners Aryan Dutt and Roelof van der Merwe could not create the same magic.
1/10:Sri Lanka bring Netherlands crashing back to reality at World Cup
2/10:Sri Lanka's first win
<p>Sadeera Samarawickrama hit an undefeated 91 as Sri Lanka brought the Netherlands crashing back down to World Cup reality with a five-wicket victory which gave the 1996 champions their first win of the tournament.<br /><br /></p>
3/10:Dutch stunned SA in previous tie
<p>The Dutch had stunned South Africa by 38 runs up in the chilly and wet Himalayas on Tuesday, but struggled to contain Sri Lanka in the heat of Lucknow.<br /></p>AP
4/10:Comfortable win for SL
<p>Chasing 263 to win, Samarawickrama hit seven boundaries in a patient 107-ball stay at the crease with Pathum Nissanka making 54 as Sri Lanka reached their target with 10 balls to spare.<br /></p>
5/10:SL open account in WC standings
<p>After defeats to South Africa, Pakistan and Australia, the Sri Lankans have their first points on the board in the 10-nation World Cup. The Netherlands too have one win and three losses from their four games.<br /><br /></p>AFP
6/10:Hat-trick of fifties for Nissanka
<p>Opener Nissanka's half-century came from 52 balls with nine fours as the 25-year-old registered his third successive fifty at this World Cup after 51 against Pakistan and 61 in the game with Australia.<br /><br /></p>PTI
7/10:Samarawickrama too good for Dutch
<p>The Dutch sensed a chance of another shock when Sri Lanka were 104/3 but Samarawickrama, who made a fine 108 against Pakistan, steadied the ship in a man of the match performance.<br /></p>AFP
8/10:Netherlands post a good total
<p>Earlier, Sybrand Engelbrecht and Logan van Beek hit maiden one-day international fifties as the Netherlands recovered from a poor start to post 262.<br /></p>ANI
9/10:Fifties for Engelbrecht & Van Beek
<p>The 35-year-old Engelbrecht reached his milestone off 65 balls with three fours and one six. Van Beek went to his fifty from 68 balls.<br /></p>
10/10:Record partnership
<p>Engelbrecht and Van Beek helped the Dutch recover from 91/6, putting on a stand of 130. It was a World Cup record for the seventh wicket, bettering the 126 between Kapil Dev and Syed Kirmani against Zimbabwe in 1983.<br /></p>The bowlers either strayed on to the leg, or bowled wide off the off-stump even as the Lankan batters took singles and twos to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Earlier, after Edwards and company crumbled, the seventh wicket partnership of 130 runs came as a booster for the Dutch. Allrounder Engelbrecht hit 70 off 82 balls and Logan van Beek scored 59 runs off 75 balls to help the Netherlands post 262.
Engelbrecht, who came in at No 7, hit one six and four boundaries.
Medium pacer Dilshan Madhushanaka (4/49) and Kasun Rajitha (4/50) inflicted maximum damage on the opponents. Spinner Maheesh Theekshana also took one wicket.
