ICC Men’s CWC 2023: Can Netherlands register their first win against Sri Lanka in ODIs?
The 19th match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be played between Netherlands and Sri Lanka on October 21 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. While Netherlands will be riding high on confidence after their scintillating win over South Africa by 38 runs (43 overs match) at Dharamsala in their last outing on October 17, Sri Lanka are still finding ways to open their account in the points table in this World Cup, having lost their first three matches. The only light at the end of the tunnel for Sri Lanka as they take on Netherlands next is that they have a 100% success in ODIs against the Dutch.
Head-to-Head
Netherlands and Sri Lanka have played five ODIs against each other since 2002 and Sri Lanka have won all. In India, these two teams have never played an ODI against each other. Similarly, this will be the first time that these two teams meet at a World Cup.
| Particulars | Netherlands | Sri Lanka |
| ICC ODI Rankings | 14 | 7 |
| Wins in ODIs | 0 | 5 |
Performance in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 so far…
Netherlands and Sri Lanka will play their fourth match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. While Netherlands have tasted some success, winning one of three matches, Sri Lanka have been totally devoid of it so far in this World Cup.
| Match number | Netherlands | Sri Lanka |
| 1 | Lost to Pakistan by 81 runs | Lost to South Africa by 102 runs |
| 2 | Lost to New Zealand by 99 runs | Lost to Pakistan by 6 wickets |
| 3 | Beat South Africa by 38 runs | Lost to Australia by 5 wickets |
Squads
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c & wk), Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Ryan Klein
Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha, Matheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha, Dimuth Karunaratne
Injury updates
Sri Lanka’s right arm medium pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana has been ruled out for eight to 10 days due to an inflammation in his bowling arm. Veteran all-rounder and former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and right arm fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera have been named travelling reserves for the rest of the tournament. On the other hand, Netherlands do not have any injury concerns.
Playing conditions
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow will host the encounter between Netherlands and Sri Lanka. While Sri Lanka will play their second ODI here, having lost their first, Netherlands will play their maiden ODI at this venue.
The venue will host its third game of this tournament. Of the two matches played here, the teams batting first have won one and the teams batting second have also won one. The conditions here are good for batting. However, the choice of pitch; black soil (assistance for spinners) or red soil (assistance for faster bowlers) will determine who will get more help.
Weather
The weather is expected to be pleasant with plenty of sunshine. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 31 degrees Celsius. There will be no cloud cover and no chance of rain. The wind will blow from the north-west.
Players to watch out for
Netherlands’ captain Scott Edwards has stood apart with the bat muscling 108 runs in three matches at an average of 54 and strike rate of 110. Besides, all-rounder Bas de Leede has been impressive for Netherlands with bat and ball. He is the most successful bowler for his team with seven wickets in three matches. With the bat, he has scored 87 runs, including one half-century.
Leading from the front is Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis. He is the top run scorer for his team in this World Cup so far with 207 runs in three matches at an average of 69 and strike rate of 157. Among the bowlers, Dilshan Madhushanka has been in good form, picking seven wickets in three matches.
Match details
Date: October 21, 2023
Time: 10:30 AM IST
Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar
All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo