Kusal Mendis’s enterprising 77-ball 122 and Sadeera Samawickrama’s scintillating 89-ball 108 powered Sri Lanka to a mammoth 344-9 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday.
Opting to bat first, the Sri Lanka top-order bounced back after the early blow of Kusal Perera (0), who made his way back to the pavilion without troubling the scorecard. But Kusal Mendis found two able partners to rack up two big partnerships, one with Nissanka (102 off 95) and, even bigger, (111 off 69) with Samarawickrama.
For Pakistan bowlers, it was a really tough day. But Hasan Ali bagged four wickets, though he conceded 71.
Haris Rauf was okay with the bowl, picking up two wickets and leaked 64 runs in his 10 overs.
Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Shadab Khan took a scalp each.
Iftikhar Ahmed remained wicketless, giving away 22 runs.
Toss
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first, the game is being played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
One change has been made to the Pakistan cricket team lineup, with Abdullah Shafique stepping in to replace Fakhar Zaman.
Pakistan's World Cup journey kicked off on a high note with a decisive 81-run triumph over the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, thanks to some outstanding performances.
The upcoming Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka group stage clash is scheduled to commence at 1:30 PM.
Squads:
Pakistan Squad:
- Captain: Babar Azam
- Players: Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
Sri Lanka Squad:
- Captain: Dasun Shanaka
- Players: Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha
