October 11, 2023
- Sri Lanka’s bowling concerns emerge in the epic World Cup Chase.
- The World Cup 2023 Witnessed Record Centuries Duel in Hyderabad.
The Hyderabadi Biryani has worked in Pakistan’s favor in the historic World Cup chase against Sri Lanka in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup. In the eighth match of the World Cup 2023, Pakistan set several records, while Sri Lanka faced criticism and had to reevaluate their early tournament performance.
It was an unexpected turn of events, as Pakistan successfully chased down a massive target of 345, defying their previous World Cup records. Their execution of a unique game plan left the cricketing world in awe.
This match made history as the only game in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup to witness four individual centuries, the third such instance in the history of ODIs. Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Abdullah Shafique, and Mohammad Rizwan each scored centuries in this remarkable encounter. Pakistan’s exceptional batting display shattered Ireland’s 12-year-old record for the highest run chase, which had been set during the 2011 World Cup hosted by India.
Furthermore, Pakistan surpassed India’s record for the highest run chase against Sri Lanka, which stood at 321 in the CB series of 2012. Abdullah Shafique also made history by becoming the first Pakistani player to score a century on his World Cup debut.
Pakistan continued their dominance over Sri Lanka in World Cup encounters, extending their lead to 8-0. This head-to-head record is even more impressive than India’s 7-0 dominance over Pakistan.
On the positive side for Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis achieved a significant milestone by scoring the fastest World Cup century in Sri Lanka’s World Cup history.
Key Worries Looming for Both Squads as Grueling Campaign Beckons
However, questions arose about Sri Lanka’s bowling department, particularly concerning IPL star Matheesha Pathirana. Despite playing only 12 ODIs, Pathirana conceded 91 runs through wides in the match against Pakistan, delivering 18 wides out of the 25 bowled during Pakistan’s innings. This performance raised serious concerns for Sri Lanka and Pathirana himself.
Following this remarkable victory, Pakistan asserted its readiness for any challenge in the World Cup 2023. They demonstrated that they are not overly reliant on their captain, Babar Azam, in batting. While the victory was sweet, Pakistan must also address certain areas if they intend to end their World Cup drought of over two decades.
