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Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama set Pakistan daunting target
Sparkling centuries from Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama helped Sri Lanka post 344/9 in Hyderabad on Tuesday (October 10). Mendis set a record enroute his stunning ton as he brought up three figures off just 65 balls – the fastest by a Sri Lankan in World Cups. He found support at the start from opener Pathum Nissanka who hit a crisp fifty.
Pakistan actually made a great start after Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Kusal Perera nicked one behind while attempting to cut Hasan Ali and departed for a duck in just the second over. But Mendis wasted little time to get going as he took on the Pakistan attack in the powerplay. The men in green could have easily sent him packing early in his innings had Imam-ul-Haq managed to hold on to a chance gifted by Mendis when he was batting only on 18. Nissanka at the other end hammered Ali for a six and a four to keep Sri Lanka rolling. At one point, Nissanka was way ahead of Mendis as he kept finding the boundary regularly to race to 43.
Mendis managed to catch up soon with his partner however as both the batters managed to get to their fifties in the same over. Shadab Khan finally gave Pakistan a much-needed breakthrough by getting rid of Nissanka but the relief didn’t last long. Mendis and Samarawickrama stunned their opposition as both the batters hit a six each off Haris Rauf. Mendis absolutely feasted on the Pakistan attack as the flurry of boundaries continued with even Shaheen Afridi failing to control the flow of runs. At the halfway mark, Sri Lanka were 181/2 before Mendis hit Ali over the ropes to bring up a stunning hundred.
Mendis hit the same bowler for two more sixes and almost managed a hat-trick of sixes before getting caught near the boundary for a 77-ball 122. For a brief moment, Pakistan appeared to fight back with Charith Asalanka departing for just 1 but Samarawickrama’s presence kept Pakistan on their toes. He brought up a fifty off just 43 balls and helped Dhananjaya de Silva settle down at the other end by ensuring the run rate didn’t drop.
After 41 overs, Sri Lanka were 294/4 and a score close to 375 was very much on the cards. However, Pakistan did pull things back at the death by striking at regular intervals. Nawaz opened his account with de Silva’s wicket and Afridi did the same a few overs later when he removed Dasun Shanaka. At the other end, Samarawickrama managed to bring up a century for the very first time in his ODI career but his dismissal with two overs still remaining ensured Pakistan conceded just nine runs in the final two overs. Despite that effort at the death, 345 is an imposing target for a side whose openers are battling for form.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 344/9 in 50 overs (Kusal Mendis 122, Sadeera Samarawickrama 108; Hasan Ali 4/71) vs Pakistan