The Pak vs SL clash marked the 8th match of the Cricket World Cup 2023. This match took place on the 10th of October in Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Pakistan looked forward to securing an additional two points with a win, whereas the Sri Lankan team still awaited their 1st World Cup win. In this blog, we will provide you with every detail that you need to know about this match between the two Asian teams.
Let’s not waste any more time and dive right in!
Toss and Playing XIs
The Sri Lankan captain, Dasun Shanaka, won the toss and chose to bat first.
Here are the playing XIs that took the ground in that game:
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Sri Lanka’s Playing XI
1. Pathum Nissanka
2. Kusal Perera
3. Kusal Mendis (wicket-keeper)
4. Sadeera Samarawickrama
5. Charith Asalanka
6. Dhananjaya de Silva
7. Dasun Shanaka (captain)
8. Dunith Wellalage
9. Maheesh Theekshana
10. Matheesha Pathirana
11. Dilshan Madushanka
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Pakistan’s Playing XI
1. Abdullah Shafique
2. Imam-ul-Haq
3. Babar Azam (captain)
4. Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper)
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Iftikhar Ahmed
7. Shadab Khan
8. Mohmmad Nawaz
9. Hasan Ali
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi
11. Haris Rauf
Pak vs SL World Cup 2023 Scorecard
Here’s the scorecard of this action-packed game:
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Sri Lanka’s Innings
| BATTERS | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | 51 | 61 | 83.61 | 7 | 1 |
| Kusal Perera | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kusal Mendis | 122 | 77 | 158.44 | 14 | 6 |
| Sadeera Samarawickram | 108 | 89 | 121.35 | 11 | 2 |
| Charith Alsanka | 1 | 3 | 33.33 | 0 | 0 |
| Dhanabjaya de Silva | 25 | 34 | 73.53 | 3 | 0 |
| Dasun Shanaka | 12 | 18 | 66.67 | 0 | 0 |
| Dunith Wellalage | 10 | 8 | 125 | 1 | 0 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matheesha Parthirana | 1 | 3 | 33.33 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | 14 | ||||
| TOTAL | 344/9 | ||||
| Bowlers | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Economy | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | 9 | 0 | 66 | 7.33 | 1 |
| Hasan Ali | 10 | 0 | 71 | 7.1 | 4 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 9 | 0 | 62 | 6.89 | 1 |
| HarisRauf | 10 | 0 | 64 | 6.4 | 2 |
| Shadab Khan | 8 | 0 | 55 | 6.88 | 1 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 4 | 0 | 22 | 5.5 | 0 |
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Pakistan’s Innings
| BATTERS | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdullah Shafique | 113 | 103 | 109.71 | 10 | 3 |
| Imam-ul-Haq | 12 | 12 | 100 | 1 | 0 |
| Babar Azam | 10 | 15 | 66.67 | 1 | 0 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | 133* | 121 | 108.26 | 8 | 3 |
| Saud Shakeel | 31 | 30 | 103.33 | 2 | 0 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 22 | 10 | 220 | 4 | 0 |
| Extras | 26 | ||||
| TOTAL | 345/4 | ||||
| Bowlers | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Economy | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maheesh Theekshana | 10 | 0 | 59 | 5.9 | 1 |
| Dilshan Madushanka | 9.2 | 0 | 60 | 6.43 | 2 |
| Dasun Shanaka | 5 | 0 | 28 | 5.6 | 0 |
| Matheesha Parthirana | 9 | 0 | 90 | 10 | 1 |
| Dunith Wellalage | 10 | 0 | 62 | 6.2 | 0 |
| Dhanabjaya de Silva | 4 | 0 | 36 | 9 | 0 |
| Charith Alsanka | 1 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
Sri Lanka’s Innings
- A Stable Start for Sri Lanka
The two Sri Lankan openers, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera, stepped into the ground for this Pak vs SL clash. Unfortunately, just in the 2nd over, Sri Lanka had to face their first loss as Kusal Perera had to depart on a duck. An unlucky edge on Hasan Ali’s delivery was the cause of this wicket.
Kusal Mendis joined Nissanka at the crease, and the duo rotated strike to add runs to their total. In the 9th over, Kusal Mendis’s catch was dropped by Imam-ul-Haq. This lost opportunity proved to be quite costly for Pakistan later in the game.
Nissanka and Mendis formed a partnership of 102 runs off 45 balls. This union helped Nissanka complete his 1st World Cup 2023 half-century off 57 balls. Mendis soon followed by celebrating his half-century as well from 40 balls.
This joy was short-lived, as Nissanka fell prey to Shadab Khan just one delivery later. He was removed for 51 off 60 balls. The scoreboard for Sri Lanka now read 107/2 in the 18th over.
- Samarawickrama-Mendis 111-run Partnership Adds Runs to the Total
Sadeera Samarawickrama accompanied Kusal Mendis at the crease. Mendis, the right-handed batsman, continued to shine with his fiery display of batting. He smashed 14 fours and 6 sixes in his fantastic knock. It wasn’t long before he was celebrating his maiden Cricket World Cup century off just 65 balls.
Samarawickrama extended his full support to the in-form batsman, and together, the duo put up a rapid partnership of 111 runs in 69 balls. However, in the 29th over, an unlucky shot just fell short of the boundary and into the hands of Imam-ul-Haq, resulting in Mendis’s dismissal.
The wicket-keeper batsman returned to the pavilion, having contributed 122 runs off 77 balls to the team’s total. Sri Lanka had already crossed the 200-run mark in just the 29th over with 7 wickets in hand.
- Samarawickrama’s Ton Helps Sri Lanka over 300
Charith Asalanka came out to replace Mendis but was quickly removed by Hasan Ali. Asalanka departed for just 1 run in the 31st over. Dhanajaya de Silva joined the in-form batsman, Samarawickrama at the crease.
Samarawickrama completed his 6th ODI half-century off 43 balls. He and de Silva successfully formed a 65-run partnership of 66 balls. However, this union was put to an end by Mohammad Nawaz in the 42nd over. Dhanajaya de Silva was caught out by Shaheen Afridi for 25 runs.
Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka came out and aided Samarawickrama to complete his 1st Cricket World Cup century off 82 balls. The 28-year-old batsman accomplished this feat in the 46th over.
- Tail’s Failure to Give A Significant Contribution
Shanaka-Samarawickrama’s 31-run partnership continued to add more to the team’s growing pile of runs. The Sri Lankan captain was removed by Shaheen Afridi for 12 runs.
Unfortunately, Samarawickrama had to depart in the 48th over for 108 runs. This wicket earned Hasan Ali his 1st World Cup 2023 4-wicket haul.
Dunith Wellalage and Mahesh Theekshan replaced the above two players but failed to contribute much to the score. Sri Lankan innings came to an end, with the scoreboard reading a whopping 344/9 in 50 overs.
Pakistan’s Innings
- A Shaky Start For Pakistan
Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq, the two Pakistani openers, stepped on the ground with 345 runs to chase. Imam was removed by a stunning catch taken by Kusal Perera. This wicket was taken by Dilshan Madushunka in the 4th over.
Pakistani skipper Babar Azam joined Shafique amidst the rising run rate. The biggest setback for the Pakistani team came when their captain returned to the pavilion for a mere 10 runs.
This crucial wicket was bagged once again by Madushunka in the 8th over. Pakistan were 37/2 in the 8th over with 308 runs still left to get.
- Rizwan-Abdullah 176-run Stand Igniting Hopes for Pakistan
With an unprecedented total to chase and the early departure of their skipper, Pakistan found themselves in grave danger. However, Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan were there to save the day.
The duo took their time settling on the crease while frequently rotating strikes with singles and doubles. This consistency helped Shafique complete his half-century off 58 deliveries. Rizwan followed his pursuit and also celebrated his fifty in the 28th over.
The pair created a magnificent partnership of 176 runs off 156 balls. Things looked stable and promising for Pakistan. Abdullah completed his 1st World Cup century in his maiden Cricket World Cup match. Shafique’s 10 fours and 3 sixes helped him accomplish this achievement off 97 balls in the 32nd over.
Matheesha Pathirana ended this massive stand in the 34th over as Shafique returned to the dugout for 113 runs. The situation looked in control of Pakistan as they had to chase 132 more runs in 17 overs with 7 wickets in hand.
- Middle Order Responds in Times of Need
Saud Shakeel came out to accompany Mohmmad Rizwan. Shakeel stood by Rizwan’s side as the duo managed to put together a 95-run partnership.
Absolute conviction and resilience were shown by the Pakistani wicket-keeper, Rizwan. He battled painful cramps but continued to contribute valuable runs to his team’s chase.
His ambition helped him complete his 3rd ODI century off 97 balls. His outstanding batting performance included 8 fours and 3 sixes. Unfortunately, Saud Shakeel had to depart for just 31 runs off 30 deliveries. He was removed by Maheesh Theekshana in the 45th over.
- A Comfortable Win for Pakistan
Iftikhar Ahmed accompanied Mohammad Rizwan at the crease. Iftikhar contributed 22 valuable runs off 10 balls. A 32-run partnership between Rizwan and Iftikhar aided Pakistan to successfully chase down the massive total.
Pakistani star Mohammad Rizwan smashed a boundary to end the run chase in the 49th over. Pakistan won by 6 wickets with 10 balls remaining in this high-intensity Pak vs SL match.
Conclusion
The successful chase by Pakistan created the record for the highest-ever chase by any team in the history of the World Cup. With over 690 runs, 13 wickets, 4 centuries, and a 4-wicket haul, this match was nothing short of drama and an absolute delight for the fans.
Among impressive batting performances, the 4 centurions, namely Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Kusal Mendis, and Sadeera Samarawickrama, are to be praised. In the bowling department, noteworthy spells include Hasan Ali’s 4/71, Haris Rauf’s 2/64, and Dilshan Madushanka’s 2/60.
