Dilshan Madushanka of Sri Lanka is awarded Player of the Match following the ICC Men´s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Zimbabwe 2023 Final between Sri Lanka and Netherlands at Harare Sports Club on July 09, 2023 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Sri Lanka v Netherlands

Dilshan Madushanka of Sri Lanka is awarded Player of the Match following the ICC Men´s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Zimbabwe 2023 Final between Sri Lanka and Netherlands at Harare Sports Club on July 09, 2023 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Sri Lanka v Netherlands (Sri Lanka won by 128 runs)

Sri Lanka bowler Wanindu Hasaranga (29, 2/35): “Before we came here, we had a good series against Afghanistan. Our bowlers bowled really well and they carried that momentum into this tournament.

“We saw when we batted how the wicket was. As a bowling unit, we tried to bowl stump-to-stump and I tried to do the same as well.

“I want to take this momentum into the World Cup in India. Our bowlers have played a lot of games in India in the last two years, and we know how the wickets behave. This qualifier tournament has helped us a lot.”

Sri Lanka head coach Chris Silverwood: “The first goal was to qualify for the World Cup, which we did and then the next goal was to come here and try and win the final as well, which thankfully we have done.

“There was obviously pressure coming into this tournament, expectation from the people at home to qualify for the World Cup, so I think we can go home happy.

“From a personal point of view with the team, our gameplan moving forward we managed to build on that coming out of the Afghan series before this and I think the confidence we have grown and shown in this tournament we can take into a World Cup with us.

“From a mental side of things, people need down time and from a physical point of view when they enter a tournament, players need to make sure they are fresh, both physically and mentally, to ensure they can perform.

“We have seen two young bowlers here on show today with immense potential and have big futures ahead of them and equally we have seen the spin bowling department just how strong we are there. As a bowling unit, everyone who has taken part has really shone for us.”

Netherlands captain Scott Edwards: “It is a high intensity tournament but I am extremely proud of the way the boys have played throughout. We played a lot of good cricket, so we are pretty excited for the next few months.

“We were still here to win the game. Credit to our bowlers, I thought we kept them to a score that we thought we could chase but we obviously had to play their spinners better and we just didn't.

“The way the guys got around each other, I have mentioned it a few times but the culture in the group has been amazing. Zimbabwe is a beautiful place to be and we have really enjoyed that, I think that helped us a bit. Our bowlers have done the job, our batters have been really good throughout the tournament. Guys stepped up when they had to and that is why we are going to India.

“That West Indies chase, we took a lot of confidence out of that. The next two or three games after that, even chasing 280 in 44 overs, we had the blueprint from that game. That was a little bit of a turning point for us in the tournament and we kept the ball rolling from there.

“It is massive for the guys, for our supporters back home, and for Dutch cricket in general. The opportunity to play in a 10-team World Cup, it is massive for us. We will lap it up and hopefully put in some good performances there.”