Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan Lead Pakistan to Historic Victory
In the ICC World Cup’s eighth match, Pakistan secured a historic victory over Sri Lanka, successfully chasing a target of 345 runs despite being four wickets down in the 49th over. Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan played pivotal roles in this remarkable achievement, both scoring centuries. This achievement marks the highest successful run chase in World Cup history, surpassing Ireland’s 329-run chase against England in the 2011 World Cup.
The match, played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, saw Pakistan’s pursuit of the target start modestly. Openers Fakhar Zaman and Captain Babar Azam departed with only five runs on the board. However, a partnership between Abdullah Shafique and Rizwan reversed Pakistan’s fortunes, with a total score of 176 runs for the third wicket. Abdullah Shafique eventually made 113 runs from 103 balls before getting out, a remarkable feat considering that it was his World Cup debut, making him the first Pakistani batter to score a century in the tournament.
Furthermore, Rizwan continued the impressive run-scoring, amassing 131 runs from 121 balls, before getting out. Both batsmen displayed excellent shots and their partnership reached 176 runs. The pair’s efforts were critical to Pakistan’s extraordinary run chase against Sri Lanka, with 345 runs as the target.
Pakistan’s run chase was particularly challenging as they had struggled initially, but Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan’s exceptional performance helped achieve the target. Notably, the day saw the highest ever team score in a World Cup match against Pakistan. The previous record was 336 runs by India against Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, managed to post a competitive total of 344 runs at the expense of nine wickets in their allotted 50 overs. Their notable contributions came from Kusal Mendis (122) and Samara Vikrama (108). Pakistan’s bowlers did their part, with Hasan Ali taking four wickets, Haris Rauf two, and Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Faheem Ashraf taking one wicket each. Sri Lanka’s target of 345 runs set a new record in World Cup history, thanks to Pakistan’s extraordinary run chase.
Pakistan had previously chased down a target of 263 against New Zealand in the 1992 World Cup semi-final. It’s worth mentioning that the eighteenth match of the ICC World Cup was played on Tuesday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. It is where the Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka invited Pakistani captain Babar Azam to field.
Pakistan secured a victory in their second match of the World Cup, defeating Sri Lanka, while in their first match, they faced a loss against the Netherlands. Pakistan’s win-loss score in World Cup events now stands at 1-1.
Looking at the ICC World Cup points table, New Zealand leads, followed by Pakistan in second place, and South Africa in third. Notably, this event marked the second encounter between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with Pakistan achieving a historic run chase, making it 2-0 in their favor in World Cup meetings.
