World Cup 2023: Kusal Mendis and Samarawickrama played an important role in helping the team score a perfect score by scoring brilliant centuries.
In match number eight of the Cricket World Cup 2023, there was a fierce fight between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Hyderabad. Team Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss.
He proposed to bowl first to Pakistan and allowed his team to bat in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match. He scored the highest number of runs ever against Pakistan when the two teams met in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
World Cup 2023: Kusal Mendis’Century
Kusal Mendis was the star of the show for his team Sri Lanka for the second consecutive match in the World Cup 2023 tournament. He gave his team a great start to the innings by scoring a brilliant century at big-hit number 3. Mendis also performed well in his first match against South Africa, scoring 76 runs in 42 balls.
World Cup 2023: Sadira Samarawickrama Century
Sadira Samarawickrama, the vigilant pair who supported Mendis every step of the way, scored 108 runs in 89 balls and scored a brilliant century which included a total of 11 fours and two sixes. The Sri Lankan team made the highest score of 344 runs for Pakistan after losing 9 wickets in 50 overs.
Sri Lankan wicket fall
The innings had a troubled start for Sri Lanka as they lost Kusal Perera without any points on the scoreboard – the second duck for a Lankan opener already in the tournament.
Brilliant bowling from Hasan Ali to take the wicket, Pakistan’s opening bowlers looked dangerous on the Hyderabad wicket.
But Mendis blunted the Pakistani threat and hit 20 fours including six sixes in his sensational 77-ball 122 to lead his team to a big total.
Pathum Nissanka (51) batted well at the other end before Samarawickrama dismissed Mendis in the middle.
And it was Samarawickrama who kept the scoreboard steady as Hasan exposed Sri Lanka’s lower to middle order by taking the crucial wickets of Mendis and Charith Asalanka (1) in his next over.
Samarawickrama helped his team cross the 300 mark as Sri Lanka looked to finish big and pose a major challenge to Pakistan’s struggling line-up.
Samarawickrama brought up his century as Sri Lanka pressed on in the death overs, but he became Hasan’s fourth wicket as he tried to play a reverse pull to find a gap in the outfield.
Hasan finished with figures of 4/71, and Pakistan did well to keep the late scoring under control as wickets fell at useful and regular intervals.
The inclusion of top spinner Mahesh Theekshana for this match after losing to the Proteas due to a hamstring injury bolstered Sri Lanka’s spirits despite their first loss to South Africa.
Pakistan Aim for CWC 2023
Pakistan are looking to remain unbeaten in the Cricket World Cup after a stunning win in the opening match against the Netherlands and have made one change to their playing eleven for the competition, replacing Fakhar Zaman with opener Abdullah Shafiq. Pakistan is still unbeaten in the CWC tournament after winning by 6 wickets over Sri Lanka.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Playing XI’s
Pakistan XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka
For more details head to ICC’s official website.