New Delhi: The Pakistan team displayed a remarkable performance in the ICC ODI World Cup and achieved the highest successful run chase in the history of the tournament. Mohammad Rizwan’s brilliant century single-handedly turned the match in Pakistan’s favor against Sri Lanka. Chasing a mammoth target of 345 runs, Pakistan won by six wickets with 10 balls to spare on the back of courageous innings from Abdullah Shafiq and Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan played an unbeaten knock of 131 runs off 121 balls.
The match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the ICC ODI World Cup was a high-scoring thriller. The Sri Lankan captain opted to bat first after winning the toss and the team posted a huge total of 344 runs for 9 wickets. Kusal Madis played an explosive inning of 122 runs off 94 balls, while Sadira Samarawickrama played an inning of 108 runs off 107 balls. The duo added 206 runs for the second wicket and put the Pakistani bowlers under pressure.
Pakistan got off to a shaky start in their chase as they lost two wickets for 36 runs in the eighth over. However, Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafiq stitched together a match-winning partnership of 212 runs for the third wicket, which changed the course of the match. Shafiq, who was playing his first World Cup match, rescued Pakistan from trouble by scoring a century. He was dismissed after playing an inning of 113 runs off 103 balls, which included 11 fours and two sixes.
Rizwan, who had scored a half-century in the first match of the ICC ODI World Cup against the Netherlands, continued his splendid form in the second match as well. He anchored the innings and played some aggressive shots towards the end to take Pakistan over the line. He remained unbeaten on 131 runs off 121 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes. He was well supported by Shoaib Malik, who scored 32 runs off 23 balls.
This was Pakistan’s second consecutive win in the ICC ODI World Cup, which took them to the top of the points table with four points. This was also their highest successful run chase in ODIs, surpassing their previous best of 329 against Bangladesh in 2021. On the other hand, this was Sri Lanka’s first loss in the tournament, which pushed them to the fourth spot with two points.
Here is some information about the match:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Venue | Dubai International Cricket Stadium |
| Toss | Sri Lanka won and chose to bat |
| Sri Lanka’s score | 344/9 (50 overs) |
| Pakistan’s score | 345/4 (48.2 overs) |
| Player of the match | Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) |
| [ |
