Brilliant batting and wayward bowling highlights Pakistan's record World cup chase

Four Hundreds – two by each team – 1 winner | Pakistan vs Sri Lanka – Match 8 Review.

October 10, 2023: Pakistan recorded the highest ever successful chase in ICC men’s World cup, overhauling Sri Lanka’s mammoth 344 in the 49th over. Riding on centuries by opener Abdullah Shafique and a cramping Muhammed Rizwan’s brilliant 130 not out, Pakistan made Lankan bowling look pedestrian. The two centurians made batting look easy after Pakistan was reeling at 37 for two at the fall of skipper Babar Azam’s wicket. Player of the match Rizwan, fighting leg cramps post his 100, added 176 runs for the third wicket with Shafique and 95 for the fourth with Saud Shakeel.

The Sri Lankan bowling was wayward at most times with almost all bowlers spraying the ball without control. Pathirana in particular was clueless in the face of the onslaught by the Pak batters. Spinner Wellalage needs more experience to handle the kind of carnage they were treated to, wicket taking balls were hardly happening.

Earlier, electing to bat Sri Lanka put up their second consecutive 300+ score in the tournament. Kusal Mendis, who put the South African bowling to sword, continued from where he left off scoring a stupendous hundred in just 65 balls, along with other centurian Sadeera Samarawickrama and opener Pathum Nissanka’s half century, posted the imposing total. However, the later batsmen fell short of putting up a possible 360+ total and ended up with 344/9.

Pure Cricket take:

Worries for Pakistan ahead of their big-ticket encounter against India on Saturday: Imam ul Haq and Babar Azam’s batting form. The bowling - Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz and Hasan Ali having no control and giving away too many runs, Shadab Khan's spin can be fodder for the Indian batters.

Sri Lanka’s batters may have to do much better than putting up 300+ if they have to have any chance of winning in the forthcoming matches, considering their bowlers went for almost 775 runs in the two matches so far.

 - Venkat, Team Pure Cricket

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