Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
Cricket World Cup 2023, Match 8, October 10, 2023, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Result: Sri Lanka won by 97 runs.
Scorecard:
| Team | Overs | Runs | Wickets
Sri Lanka | 50 | 344 | | 9 |
Pakistan | 48.2 | 345 | | 4 |
Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat.
Match Summary:
Sri Lanka got off to a flying start in the match, with Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka putting on a 124-run partnership for the first wicket. Mendis went on to score a century, while Nissanka was dismissed for 72. Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva contributed useful knocks in the middle order, and Sri Lanka eventually finished their innings on 344/9.
Pakistan made a poor start to their chase, losing three early wickets. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan tried to rebuild the innings, but both batsmen were dismissed after getting good starts. The remaining Pakistani batsmen struggled against the Sri Lankan bowlers, and the team was eventually bowled out for 247 in 49.5 overs.
Sri Lanka’s victory was their first-ever against Pakistan in a Cricket World Cup match. The win also helped them to bounce back from their defeat to South Africa in their opening match.
Analysis
Sri Lanka’s batsmen were in excellent form in this match, with five of them scoring half-centuries or more. Kusal Mendis’ century was the highlight of the innings, and he was well supported by Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, and Dhananjaya de Silva.
Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to contain the Sri Lankan batsmen, and they were also unable to take early wickets in the chase. This allowed Sri Lanka to build a big total, which was too much for Pakistan to chase down.
Overall, Sri Lanka were the better team on the day, and they deserved their victory.
