Sri Lanka squandered a great chance to end their World Cup duck against Pakistan, who rode on sublime centuries from Abdullah Shafique and Mohammed Rizwan to register a record chase of 345 with 10 balls to spare, and warm up in style for the high-octane encounter with India on October 14.
Pakistan’s chase began on a shaky note, losing Imam-ul-Haq (12) and skipper Babar Azam (10) cheaply, before Shafique (113 off 103 balls) and Rizwan (131 not out off 121 balls) helped the side register a stunning comeback with a 176-run third wicket stand. Opening the innings, Shafique had no troubles in dealing with the Sri Lankan bowlers, who lost steam after the initial powerplay.
Rizwan, on the other hand, battled through pain in his back, down with cramps in energy sapping conditions in Hyderabad but ensured he stayed on till the end, and in the process brought up his career’s third ODI hundred off 97 deliveries.
Rizwan was also involved in a 95-run fourth wicket with Saud Shakeel, whose handy 31-ball 30, provided the impetus to Pakistan’s chase after Shafique departed, leaving the side with more than 100 for the win. With Pakistan needing another 37 runs, Shakeel also departed, leaving the finishing job for Rizwan, who cramped through pain to get past the Sri Lankan total.
Despite the win, Pakistan will in a way be worried by the kind of hammering the bowlers received ahead of the encounter against India. Over the years, it’s the mind games in the run-up to the blockbuster India-Pakistan contests that has played a pivotal role in the battle between India’s famed batting against Pakistan’s fiery pace attack.
However, if Tuesday’s game against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad is considered a trailer in the build-up to the marquee contest on Saturday, Pakistan’s pace department will have a lot of homework to do before taking on the Indians. On top of that, the Narendra Modi Stadium in the Gujarat capital city is expected to be a full house during the weekend, adding to the pressure on the Men-in-Green’s psyche.
On Tuesday, Kusal Mendis (122 from 77 balls) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (108 off 89 balls) sent Pakistan’s bowlers to the leather hunt after opener Pathum Nissanka came up with a blazing 51 to set the tone for a mammoth 344 for 9, their highest World Cup total against a full member side.
To set things in perspective, Shaheen Shah Afridi, the leader of the pack for Pakistan, leaked 66 runs from his 9 overs, and managed a lone wicket, while Hasan Ali conceded 71 from his 10, but managed to pick four wickets. Similarly, the speed merchant Haris Rauf was milked for 64 runs for his two wickets. Even the spinners — Mohammed Nawaz (62) and Shadab Khan (55) were milked for plenty, leaving the Pakistan batters a mountain to climb.
Ton-up Malan helps England overcome New Zealand nightmare
In the run-up to Tuesday’s rare day game between England and Bangladesh at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium (HPCA) in Dharamsala, overlooking the mighty Himalayas, there were concerns of a patchy outfield, and thunderstorms on the eve of the encounter would have given the organizers a bit of a headache.
However, defending champions England negated all off-field concerns in their pursuit of bringing their campaign back on track, especially after a nightmarish opening against New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Riding on Dawid Malan’s maiden World Cup century and half centuries from Jonny Bairstow (52) and Joe Root (82), England posted a daunting 364 for 9 before the returning Reece Topley (4/43) ripped through the top order to humble Bangladesh by 137 runs.
Put in to bat, England decided to do away with their overt aggression with the bat and went on with a calmer approach, with Malan and Bairstow putting up a steady century stand to set the tone. While Bairstow slammed a 59-ball 52, it was Malan’s power-packed 107-ball 140 that stood out as the showstopper. After Bairstow’s dismissal, Malan was involved in another crucial partnership of 151 in 19.3 overs that gave England a formidable platform going into the latter stages, in which they however lost seven wickets for 68 runs in the final 10 overs, but Bangladesh were still left with a challenging seven-an over for a record chase.
For the Bangladesh side, Litton Das (76) began the chase by striking Chris Woakes for three back-to-back boundaries, and Mushfiqur Rahim (51) produced half-centuries, their partnership of 72 at close to a run a ball only succeeded in adding some respectability to the scorecard, which barring Towhid Hridoy’s laborious 39 off 61, lacked the intent and adaptability against quality seam bowling, and eventually folded up for a meagre 227 in 48.2 overs.