ISLAMABAD Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique conjoined centuries as Pakistan chased down the loftiest target in World Cup history to beat Sri Lanka by six lattices in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
The fine Rizwan crushed leg cramps to score a 121- ball 131 not out while Shafique hit a 103- ball 113 as Pakistan caught their 345- run target in48.2 overs.
The palm gives Pakistan two triumphs in as numerous games and a huge boost in confidence ahead of their high- profile clash against India in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Sri Lanka’s assessing aggregate of 344- 9 was erected around brilliant hundreds from Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
Rizwan cracked eight boundaries and three sixes while Shafique’s knock had ten boundaries and three sixes as Pakistan bettered on the former loftiest World Cup chase of 328 by Ireland against England in Bangalore in 2011.
Rizwan added a match- turning 176 run stage for the third gate with Shafique and another 95 for the fourth with Saud Shakeel who made a 30- ball 31.
Rizwan and Shafique lifted Pakistan from a disastrous launch in which they lost Imam- ul- Haq( 12) and commander Babar Azam( ten) to leader Dilshan Madushanka.
Haq, who completed 3,000 runs in 67 innings to come the alternate joint fastest to the corner, hooked into the hands of the fielder while Azam edged a film behind the gate.
Shafique, who replaced out- of- form Fakhar Zaman, justified his selection by reaching his maiden hundred out 97 balls.
Shafique fell in the 34th over to Matheesha Pathirana but Rizwan continued the chase, reaching his third ODI hundred off 97 balls.
He hit the winning single and raised his hands in delight.
When Sri Lanka maundered, after winning the toss, Mendis smashed the fastest century for Sri Lanka in a World Cup match with a 77- ball 122, his loftiest score in ODIs and third century.
It was an innings seasoned with 14 boundaries and half a dozen sixes, leading the charge for Sri Lanka while Samarawickrama hit an 89- ball 108 for his maiden hundred.
Samarawickrama hit 11 boundaries and two sixes.
Mendis doubly escaped dropped catches — Shaheen Shah Afridi dropped him off his own bowling in the fifth over and also Imam- ul- Haq blundered in the coming over again off Shaheen on 18.
Mendis completed his 50 off 40 balls with his seventh boundary, lifting Sri Lanka from the early loss of Kusal Perera( oh) in the alternate over to Hasan Ali.
Mendis put on a 102 with Pathum Nissanka whose 51 came off 61 balls with seven boundaries and a six.
Once Nissanka fell to Shadab Khan, Mendis and Samarawickrama unleashed some superb hitting against Pakistan’s bellwethers and baits likewise, adding 111 for the third gate.
They were savage on fast bowler Haris Rauf, hitting him for two sixes and a boundary in the 21st over.
When Shaheen came back for a alternate spell, Mendis cracked three fours in the 25th over.
Hasan was hoisted by Mendis for a six to allow the batsman his third hundred out 65 balls.
It was his first century in three- and-a-half times but he'd made 76 in the opening defeat to South Africa and now has at least five half- centuries in his last seven ODIs.
preliminarily, Kumar Sangakkara held the Sri Lanka World Cup record with a 70- ball hundred, scored against England in 2015.
Mendis’s former stylish was 119 against the West Indies in Hambantota in February 2020.
Mendis hit two sixes off Hasan’s 29th over before he drilled out at deepmid-wicket boundary.
Hasan also removed Charith Asalanka for one but Samarawickrama and Dhananjaya de Silva( 25) added 65 for the fifth gate.
Hasan finished as the stylish bowler with 4- 71 while Rauf took 2- 64.
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