PAK VS SL - 8th Match, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

Two wins in two matches for Pakistan and this will boost their morale. Their bowlers weren't up to the mark, the fielding was sloppy, Babar fell cheaply in a big chase and yet they hunted down the target pretty convincingly. Meanwhile, what can Sri Lanka do differently? Two 300+ scores and two losses. At one stage, they looked well set to get close to 370 today but ended up with a score under 350. However, it's their inexperienced bowling that has let them down in both the games. Can they bounce back? We'll find out. For now, it's curtains down on this high-scoring encounter. Two more Asian teams will be in action tomorrow - India vs Afghanistan - in Delhi. Don't forget to tune in for that. Until then, it's goodbye...

Babar Azam: All credit to the boys, especially Abdullah and Rizwan, the way they built the partnership and put pressure on Sri Lanka. We weren't up to the mark in the first 20-30 overs. All credit to Mendis, he played an outstanding knock. We finished well, all credit to the bowlers. (On Shafique) Very happy with the way he's playing. This is his first World Cup. His hunger to play, I saw him in the nets so I decided to play him. The way Rizwan and Abdullah built the partnership, they helped us. We believed and built partnerships. Thank you so much (Hyderabad crowd) for supporting us throughout the one and a half weeks.

Dasun Shanaka: Mendis is in another zone, played an unbelievable knock in the practice game, scored 70+ in the first game and a brilliant hundred here. More to come. Sadeera is playing really well. We should have finished a bit stronger than this. We were 20-25 runs short on this wicket. Credit to them, they were bowling really good slower balls. I can't ask too much from them (bowlers). We have given them simple plans. We need to be concerned about the extras as well. We gave too many extras. We had our chances in the field as well, we missed a lot today.

Stats courtesy Shashikant Singh

Highest scores for Pakistan wicketkeepers in ODIs
131* - Mohammad Rizwan vs SL, Hyderabad, 2023*
124 - Kamran Akmal vs WI, Brisbane, 2005
116* - Kamran Akmal vs AUS, Abu Dhabi, 2009
115 - Mohammad Rizwan vs AUS, Sharjah, 2019*

Highest target successfully chased in World Cups
345 by PAK vs SL, Hyderabad, 2023*
328 by IRE vs ENG, Bengaluru, 2011
322 by BAN vs WI, Taunton, 2019
319 by BAN vs SCO, Nelson, 2015
313 by SL vs ZIM, New Plymouth, 1992

- This is also the second-highest successful chase for Pakistan in ODIs and the highest by any team against Sri Lanka in ODIs.

Most hundreds scored in an ODI match
4 - PAK vs AUS, Lahore, 1998
4 - IND vs AUS, Nagpur, 2013
4 - PAK vs SL, Hyderabad, 2023* (WC)

Most wins against a team without any loss in WC
8 - Pakistan vs Sri Lanka*
7 - India vs Pakistan
6 - West Indies vs Zimbabwe

Highest scores for Pakistan in ODI World Cups
160 - Imran Nazir vs ZIM, Kingston, 2007
131* - Mohammad Rizwan vs SL, Hyderabad, 2023*
119* - Rameez Raja vs NZ, Christchurch, 1992
114 - Aamer Sohail vs ZIM, Hobart, 1992

Number 4 scoring a hundred for both teams in the same match
AB de Villiers (107) & Tatenda Taibu (107), Harare, 2007
Yuvraj Singh (150) & Eoin Morgan (102), Cuttack, 2017
Shreyas Iyer (103) & Ross Taylor (109*), Hamilton, 2020
Aaron Jones (123) & Calum MacLeod (117), Aberdeen, 2022
Samarawickrama (108), M Rizwan (131*), Hyderabad, 2023*

Mohammad Rizwan | Player of the Match: Always a proud moment for me whenever you perform for your country. I am speechless at this moment. It was difficult. The thing was that after the bowling innings we went back and everyone was confident. Unluckily, they got Babar Azam early but we got good partnerships after that. It's a good track, was supporting to us. I told Shafique to take it step by step. Sometimes it's cramps and sometimes I acting (chuckles).

Abdullah Shafique - replacing Fakhar at the top of the order - batted fluently and Rizwan got into the groove after a scratchy start. The duo steadied the ship and then lifted the tempo to put the Islanders under immense pressure. The spinners weren't allowed to settle and Pathirana struggled with his lines and lengths. While Shafique raised his maiden ODI century, Rizwan notched up his fourth 50+ score in five ODI innings. They were cruising and Hemantha pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss Shafique for 113 and thereby break the 176-run partnership. However, Sri Lanka couldn't take advantage of that opening. Rizwan battled cramps, paced his innings superbly and remained unbeaten till the end to take his team home. Stick around for the presentations...

22:25 Local Time, 16:55 GMT, 22:25 IST: Pakistan keep their winning streak intact against Sri Lanka in World Cups. The scoreline is now 8-0! This is also the highest successful run-chase in the history of the World Cup. On a good batting deck, the Lankans posted 344 on the board on the back of tons from Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama. The former got a couple of reprieves and he cashed in big time. He notched up a 65-ball century - quickest by a SL batter in World Cups - by going after the Pakistani bowlers. Samarawickrama's knock might have been overshadowed by Mendis but the Lankan No. 4 compiled a classy hundred - his first in ODIs. Pakistan managed to pull things back somewhat towards the end, yet they had a big target in front of them. In reply, Pakistan lost two wickets in the first powerplay, both to Dilshan Madushanka. While Imam was bounced out for 12, captain Babar Azam was strangled down for 10. They were in a spot of bother but Pakistan fought back and did so in style.

Madushanka to Rizwan, 1 run, Pakistan win by 6 wickets! Fullish delivery, Rizwan leans across and drives through the covers

Madushanka to Rizwan, no run, low full toss, flicked straight to mid-wicket

Dilshan Madushanka [9.0-0-59-2] is back into the attack

Just 1 run needed now

Pathirana to Rizwan, 1 run, slower ball, very full, clipped to mid-wicket and the batsmen run hard. Rizwan wants the second but he gets sent back

Pathirana to Rizwan, FOUR, pulled behind square and into the gap. Shuffles across in his crease does Rizwan, gets into a good position and sends this short of length delivery away

Pathirana to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 run, low full toss, driven to long-off

Pathirana to Iftikhar Ahmed, FOUR, Pathirana misses his yorker and ends up bowling a half-volley. Iftikhar Ahmed bends his back leg and batters this off-pace ball through extra cover

Pathirana to Iftikhar Ahmed, wide, slower ball but the line is too wide outside off

Pathirana to Iftikhar Ahmed, FOUR, slower ball, full toss, Iftikhar Ahmed is early into his sweep and the ball flies over short third man off the leading edge

The asking rate is below 6 RPO now

Pathirana to Iftikhar Ahmed, FOUR, 141kph, overpitched delivery, Iftikhar Ahmed shuffles, clears his front leg and tonks it over the bowler's head for a one-bounce four

Matheesha Pathirana [8.0-0-71-1] is back into the attack