Pakistan secured a brilliant six-wicket win against Sri Lanka, thanks to the enterprising batting performances of Mohammad Rizwan's unbeaten 121-ball 131 and Abdullah Shafique 103-ball 113 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday.
PAKISTAN'S INNINGS
The match showcased the impact of key decisions, including Fakhar Zaman's omission and the elevation of young talent like Abdullah Shafique in high-pressure situations.
Fakhar Zaman, who had been enduring a lean run of form, found himself out of the playing XI earlier than expected. The debate surrounding his exclusion lingered, as some questioned whether he deserved to be dropped so swiftly.
Others argued in favour of providing a young player with his first World Cup experience rather than thrusting them into the intense atmosphere of a match against India, played in front of a massive crowd of 120,000 fans.
This decision ultimately paved the way for Abdullah Shafique to step into the spotlight. Facing the daunting task of batting after Pakistan's top-order pillars, Imamul Haq (12) and Babar Azam (10), fell early in a challenging chase of 345 runs, Shafique had no choice but to absorb the pressure and maintain a steady run rate.
Shafique displayed remarkable composure, crafting his half-century off 58 balls with a display of classic cricket strokes. While his innings may have appeared unremarkable at times, they laid the foundation for a performance he could reflect on with pride.
His ability to adapt to the conditions and tackle Sri Lanka's spinners were notable aspects of his innings, along with a sensational acceleration in the middle and late overs—a strategy Pakistan had relied on to secure the victory.
For Sri Lanka, Dilshan Madushanka (2-60) bagged two wickets.
Maheesh Theekshana (1-59) and Matheesha Pathirana (1-90) took a scalp each.
Dasun Shanaka (0-28), Dunith Wellalage (0-62), Dhananjaya de Silva (0-36) and Charith Asalanka (0-10) remained wicketless.
SRI LANKA'S INNINGS
Earlier, 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.
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.
