Amidst persistent cramps, Rizwan's century and Shafique's century, which made him the first batter from Pakistan to score a century in a World Cup debut, eclipsed the heroics of Sri Lanka's twin centurions, Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
In the ODI World Cup league encounter at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Wednesday, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets behind centuries from Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan. This was Pakistan's second straight victory.
Amidst persistent cramps, Rizwan's century and Shafique's century, which made him the first batter from Pakistan to score a century in a World Cup, eclipsed the heroics of Sri Lanka's twin centurions, Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
After losing their first two players, Imam-ul-Haq and captain Babar Azam, in the eighth over of the World Cup match, Pakistan rallied to chase a record target of 345 runs. Shafique, who replaced Fakhar Zaman today, and Rizwan steadied the innings during their 176-run partnership for the third wicket off 156 balls.
It also represented yet another poor performance by the Sri Lankan bowlers, who let up 90 runs for the second time in this competition with Matheesha Pathirana getting hit all over.
It was the first time two batters have hit hundreds in the same innings of an ODI at this location when Mendis and Samarawickrama did so earlier on a great batting track.
Mendis made Pakistan pay a severe price in the sixth over of the innings when he was dropped on 18 by Imam-ul-Haq at backward point of bowler Shaheen Afridi. Mendis displayed an amazing combination of big knocks and delicious strokes - against both pace and spin.
Mendis and Nissanka shared a second-wicket partnership of 102 runs off 93 balls until the latter chopped leg-spinner Shadab Khan clean to the fielder in the eighteenth over.
Subsequently, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Mendis, who scored a century with a huge six off bowler Hasan Ali, combined for 111 runs for the third wicket off 69 balls, rendering the Pakistani bowling appear average.
After smashing two consecutive sixes off Hasan Ali, Mendis eventually left the field. In the 29th over, Imam-ul-Haq made apologies by catching Mendis near the mid-wicket boundary.
But Pakistani death bowling was excellent, as Hasan Ali finished with four wickets to reduce Sri Lanka to 344 for nine after they had been 315 for three in forty-five overs. In the end, this effort proved to be crucial.
In the match, there was also the third-ever ODI century by two batters from the same side in a single game.
