CWC 2023: Shafique, Rizwan help Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets

Pakistan record a comfortable six-wicket win in high-scoring game; Mendis, Samarawickrama's tons in vain

Hyderabad: Opener Abdullah Shafique, who replaced struggling Fakhar Zaman, played an impactful innings with a fluent 103-ball 113 while Mohammad Rizwan anchored the chase with a masterfull unbeaten 131 (off 121) as Pakistan trounced Sri Lanka by six wickets in a high-scoring game that saw four centuries in the day to record their second successive victory, at the ICC Men”s ODI World Cup at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Riding on counter-attacking tons from Kusal Mendis (122 off 77 balls) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (108 off 89), Sri Lanka posted challenging 344/9 in 50 overs. Though the Lankans were on course for a bigger target, Pakistan bowlers pulled things back in the final 10 overs picking up five wickets for 61 runs that proved vital in their victory.

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Later, Shafique and Rizwan stitched a match-winning partnership of 176 (156 balls) for the third wicket that inflicted second straight defeat on Sri Lanka as they romped home with 10 balls left. This is only the third time in the history of ODI cricket that four centuries – two from each side – were registered in a match.

However, Pakistan had worst possible start to their chase. While Imam-Ul-Haq”s woeful form continued, captain Babar Azam failed in second successive match as they were reduced to 37/2 in eight overs. Both were dismissed by Dilshan Madhushanka.

But Shafique and Rizwan played turned the match on its head with beautifully crafted tons. Abdullah was the aggressor initially in the partnership. He reached his century with in 97 balls with a boundary of Madhushanka.

Shafique, however, was dismissed when substitute Dushan Hemantha took a blinder at the point diving to his right to end the big partnership in the 34th over. After his dismissal, Rizwan added crucial 95 runs with Saud Shakeel (31) for the fourth wicket. Though the latter was dismissed, Rizwal led his side to victor in the company of Iftikhar Ahmad.
Earlier, Mendis made the most of a life he got on 18 with a century. He added two century partnerships – 102 runs for the second wicket with Pathum Nissanka and 111 runs for the third wicket with Samarawickrama – to put their side on course for a much bigger target.

Sri Lanka lost opener Kusal Perara for a duck and they would have been two down for 31 in the seventh over but Imam-ul-Haq dropped Mendis off Shaheen Shah Afridi. Nissanka (51) departed after adding a century stand. But Mendis smacked Afridi for a hat-trick of boundaries in the 25th over. He then pulled Hasan Ali for a mid-wicket six to reach his century in just 65 balls. Mendis departed after a 111-stand with Samarawickrama.

Samarawickrama added 65 runs with Dhananjaya de Silva for the fifth wicket before the latter departed in the 42nd over. Pak dismissed Samarawickrama soon after his century and restricted the damage. For Pakistan, Hasan Ali was the most-successful bowler with 4/71 while Haris Rauf scalped two wickets for 64.