Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed during the ICC World Cup 2023 match against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad on October 10, 2023 Celebrate your victory. Photo credit: KVS Giri
Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique chased down the highest target in World Cup history as they beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in Hyderabad on October 10.
The diminutive Rizwan overcame leg cramps to score 131 off 121 balls while Shafiq smashed 113 off 103 balls as Pakistan surpassed the target of 345 in 48.2 overs.
The win gave Pakistan two wins in as many matches and provided a huge confidence boost ahead of Saturday’s high-profile clash with India in Ahmedabad.
Sri Lanka’s impressive record of 344-9 was made possible by hundreds of outstanding players from Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
Rizwan smashed 8 boundaries and 3 sixes while Shafiq’s knock smashed 10 boundaries and 3 sixes to help Pakistan score 328 against England in Bengaluru 2011 against Ireland made progress in the World Cup.
Rizwan scored a game-changing run of 176 for the third wicket with Shafique and 95 for the fourth wicket with Saud Shakeel before The player scored 30 goals and 31 points.
Rizwan and Shafiq helped Pakistan recover from a disastrous start in which they lost Imam-ul-Haq (12) and captain Babar Azam (10) , lost to pacer Dilshan Madushanka.
Haque, who completed 3,000 runs in 67 innings and became the second fastest man to reach the milestone, hooked the fielder’s hand while Azam flicked on behind the wicket.
Shafiq replaced the out-of-form Fakhar Zaman and justified his selection by scoring his maiden hundred off 97 balls.
Shafiq fell to Matheesha Pathirana in the 34th over but Rizwan kept up the chase and reached his third ODI hundred in 97 balls.
He hit the winning single and threw his hands up in joy.
When Sri Lanka batted, after winning the toss, Mendis smashed Sri Lanka’s fastest hundred in a World Cup match with a 77-ball 122, which was also his highest in ODIs and third hundred Score.
– Mendis dropped twice –
The innings featured 14 boundaries and 6 sixes as Sri Lanka took the lead as Samarawickrama scored 108 off 89 balls for his maiden hundred.
Samarawickrama hit 11 boundaries and 2 sixes.
Mendis twice escaped a catch off the ball – Shaheen Shah Afridi off his own bowling in the fifth over and then Imam-ul-Haq again from Shaheen in the 18th over Ball turnover.
Mendis completed his 50th off 40 balls with his seventh boundary to free Sri Lanka from Kusal Perera, who had lost early to Hassan Ali in the second match ( without the ball) situation.
Mendis scored 102 with Pathum Nissanka, who struck 51 off 61 balls, including 7 boundaries and 6 boundaries.
Once Nissanka was bowled out by Shadab Khan, Mendis and Samarawickrama unleashed some brilliant strikes against Pakistan’s pacers and spinners, adding 111 runs for the third wicket.
They were ferocious against fast bowler Haris Rauf, hitting him for two sixes and a boundary in the 21st over.
When Shaheen returned for the second time, Mendis hit three fours in the 25th over.
Hasan was lifted by Mendis for a six, taking the batsman to his third hundred off 65 balls.
It was his first hundred in three-and-a-half years, but he hit 76 in the opening loss to South Africa and now has at least five half-centuries in the past seven ODIs.
Previously, Kumar Sangakkara held Sri Lanka’s World Cup record with 70 balls against England in 2015.
Mendis’ previous best score was 119 against West Indies at Hambantota in February 2020.
Mendis hit two sixes in the 29th over from Hassan and then holed out a shot deep to the mid-wicket boundary.
Hasan then took Charith Asalanka for a point but Samarawickrama and Dhananjaya de Silva (25 ) scored another 65 runs for the fifth wicket.
Hasan was the top bowler with figures of 4-71, while Rauf was the top bowler with figures of 2-64.
