A phenomenal batting display from opener Abdullah Shafique and wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan saw Pakistan register the highest successful run chase in the history of the ODI World Cup as they defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in a thrilling fixture at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, October 10.
Both Rizwan (131* off 121 balls) and Abdullah scored twin centuries and aggregated a 176-run stand to take the 1992 World Cup champions to the threshold of victory. Abdullah laid the foundation of the run chase and played some sensible shots to begin with. He kept his calm as wickets tumbled at the other end.
Abdullah became the 18th player to score a century on World Cup debut and dictated terms to the Sri Lankan bowlers. The 23-year-old’s knock included 10 fours and three sixes and came at a strike rate of 109.70.
On the other hand, Rizwan came to Pakistan’s rescue after they were languishing at 37 for the loss of two wickets after losing Imam ul Haq and skipper Babar Azam and played the innings of his ODI career to take Pakistan home in the end.
The 31-year-old Rizwan took calculated risks throughout his knock and made sure that the asking run rate was kept in check. He dealt in boundaries whenever he felt the game was slipping away a little and kept dealing in singles and twos when the Sri Lankan bowlers landed the ball in the right areas.
Rizwan scored the highest knock (131*) of his ODI career and hit eight fours and three sixes during his stay in the middle. He suffered cramps during his innings and looked in a spot of bother but kept going on and never lost sight of the target.
Earlier, in the day it was a complete Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama show as the two batters hit centuries to help the Lankan Lions score 344 in their 50 overs. Kusal, in particular, looked in imperious touch as he scored the fastest ton by a Sri Lankan player in ODI World Cup history going past Kumar Sangakkara and got the support that he needed in the middle from Samarawickrama.
Mendis scored 122 off 77 balls while Sadeera scored 108 of 89 balls. This is Pakistan’s second consecutive win of the tournament and Sri Lanka’s second loss on the bounce.
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