"We were 20-25 runs short on this wicket": SL skipper Dasun Shanaka on debacle against Pakistan
Oct 10, 2023
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 11 : After suffering a second defeat in their ICC World Cup campaign, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka admitted that his team were 20-25 runs short with the bat.
Hundreds from Abdullah Shafique and Mohammed Rizwan helped Pakistan pull off the highest run chase in World Cup history after they defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Kusal Mendis (122) and Sadeera Samarawickrama's (108) played record-shattering knocks that posed various kinds of trouble to the Pakistan bowlers.
"Mendis is in form at the moment and is in the zone. Also, Sadeera has been playing very well in the recent, but we should've finished stronger in the end. Of course, I thought with the way the wicket behaved, we were 20-25 runs short," Dasun Shanaka said in a post-match press conference.
Shanaka heaped praise on Pakistan bowlers' "very good slower balls." He went on to say that Sri Lanka bowlers gave away too much extras.
"Credit to them, they (Pakistan) bowled very good slower balls. I can't ask too much from the bowlers. I have given simple plans and coaching staff as well, but we gave too much extras. The only way is to encourage them. Unfortunately, we missed our chances," Shanaka added.
Rizwan played an outstanding unbeaten knock of 131 runs off 121 while Abdullah Shafique slammed 113 and a fiery cameo from Iftikhar Ahmed helped Pakistan chase 344 with 10 balls to spare.
For the first time in men's World Cup history, four centuries were hit in the same match, with Pakistan coming out on top in a run-fest thriller.
