Cricket fans around the world were treated to an exciting match on September 14, 2023, when Sri Lanka faced off against Pakistan in the 11th match of the Asia Cup Super Four. This intresting contest, held at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, kept spectators on the edge of their seats until the very last ball.
Let’s dive into the details of this Sri lanka national cricket team vs Pakistan national cricket team match scorecard and other thrilling encounter!
Match Overview
- Tournament: Asia Cup 2023
- Teams: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
- Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
- Date: September 14, 2023
- Result: Sri Lanka won by 2 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)
The Toss and Weather Conditions
As for the embargo details of the toss, there was a delay of rain and the ground was wet. This resulted in a shortened game to 42 overs per side, thus including an additional level of unpredictability to the encounter.
Sri lanka national cricket team vs Pakistan national cricket team match scorecard
Pakistan (42 ovs maximum)
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Abdullah Shafique | 52 | 69 | 98 | 3 | 2 | 75.36 |
| Fakhar Zaman | 4 | 11 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 36.36 |
| Babar Azam (c) | 29 | 35 | 54 | 3 | 0 | 82.85 |
| Mohammad Rizwan † (not out) | 86 | 73 | 125 | 6 | 2 | 117.80 |
| Mohammad Haris | 3 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 12 | 12 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 47 | 40 | 62 | 4 | 2 | 117.50 |
| Shadab Khan | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi (not out) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | ||||||
| Total | 252/7 | in 42 overs (RR: 6.00) |
Bowling (Pakistan Innings)
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
| Pramod Madushan | 7 | 1 | 58 | 2 | 8.28 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 9 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 4.66 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dasun Shanaka | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 6.00 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Dunith Wellalage | 9 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 4.44 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 8 | 0 | 65 | 3 | 8.12 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 6 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 4.66 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Sri Lanka (Target: 252 runs from 42 overs)
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Pathum Nissanka | 29 | 44 | 57 | 4 | 0 | 65.90 |
| Kusal Perera | 17 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 212.50 |
| Kusal Mendis † | 91 | 87 | 135 | 8 | 1 | 104.59 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | 48 | 51 | 70 | 4 | 0 | 94.11 |
| Charith Asalanka (not out) | 49 | 47 | 68 | 3 | 1 | 104.25 |
| Dasun Shanaka (c) | 2 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 5 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 71.42 |
| Dunith Wellalage | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Pramod Madushan | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Matheesha Pathirana (not out) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Total | 252/8 |
Bowling (Sri Lanka Innings)
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | 9 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 5.77 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Zaman Khan | 6 | 1 | 39 | 0 | 6.50 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mohammad Wasim | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 8.33 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 7 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 3.71 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shadab Khan | 9 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 6.11 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 8 | 0 | 50 | 3 | 6.25 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Pakistan’s Innings: Setting the Target
Pakistan won the toss and came up for the first time and managed to score a competitive 252/7 in 42 overs. Let’s look at the key performances:
Top Performers with the Bat
Mohammad Rizwan: The wicketkeeper-batsman was brilliant with his strokeful 86 not out off 73 balls, with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his credit. His scoring rate of 117.80 in the context of Pakistan innings was far more impressive.
Abdullah Shafique: Shafique was the first to go into bat and he showed good resilience and got out on 52 off 69 balls, which set the stage for the team.
Iftikhar Ahmed: Seventh batsman with useful contribution, Ahmed hit 47 off 40 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes.
Bowling Heroes for Sri Lanka
Matheesha Pathirana: Only the young pacer could prove sticky, as he claimed 3 wickets in 65 runs in 8 overs bowled by him.
Pramod Madushan: He took 2 wickets in the match but was approaching a bit on the pricey side as he went for 58 runs in seven overs.
Maheesh Theekshana: The spinner had a good economical spell as he conceded only 42 runs in his 9 overs while he was able to bag one wicket.
Sri Lanka’s Chase: A Nail-Biting Finish
At one point, Sri Lanka needed 252 in 42 overs and they got it in the last ball of the game. Here’s how their innings unfolded:
Batting Heroes
Kusal Mendis: Mendis, the star of the chase, scored a brilliant 91 off 87 balls, four fours, and one six. In addition, his innings played a role in keeping the Sri Lankan team in the running.
Sadeera Samarawickrama: Playing the perfect supporting role, Samarawickrama scored 48 off 51 balls, forming a vital partnership with Mendis.
Charith Asalanka: With the pressure mounting, Asalanka’s unbeaten 49 off 47 balls helped steer Sri Lanka to victory in the final overs.
Pakistan’s Bowling Effort
Iftikhar Ahmed: Other than delivering a good batting display, Ahmed was also among the wickets by taking 3 wickets in 8 overs, costing his team only 50 runs.
Shaheen Shah Afridi: The pace spearhead got hold of 2 important wickets but he was a tad costly, 52 runs in 9 overs.
Shadab Khan: He bowled a lot of overs (9 bowls), only got one wicket and cost his team a total of 55 runs.
Key Moments in the Chase
Quick Start: It was a blistering knock by Kusal Perera, who scored 17 off 8 balls and ensured Sri Lanka got off to a flier.
Middle-Overs Partnership: Mendis and Samarawickrama brought up a 100-run partnership for the third wicket, which was the basis for the chase.
Talking Points from the Match
Reduced Overs Impact: What changes developed due to the rain?
All-Round Performances: Iftikhar Ahmed for example, proves to be a much offensive and defensive impact when he is playing the game for his team.
Pressure Handling: They could have achieved this after they felt the game’s pressure by nearing the target here, which showed great mental strength.
Player of the Match
It was fitting that Kusal Mendis was given the Player of the Match award for his match-changing knock of 91. That’s why on the Sri Lankan side he showed great performance in pacing the innings and dealing with pressure moments.
Conclusion
This game between Sri lanka national cricket team vs Pakistan national cricket team match scorecard had all the elements of a fantastic promotion for all the thrill that could be expected from limited-overs cricket.
It had almost everything in it: great individual performances, well-planned team performances, and a nail-biting finish. As the tournament progresses, one can only hope for more such exhilarating encounters to give cricket fans worldwide a treat to watch.
