In-form Mendis blasts century for Sri Lanka against Pakistan

In-form Kusal Mendis hit his third one-day international century as Sri Lanka piled up the runs against Pakistan in the World Cup on Tuesday.

The match is being played at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in India.

The 28-year-old reached his century off 65 balls with 13 fours and four sixes, the last of which off Hasan Ali brought up the landmark in style.

For Mendis, it was his fifth score over 50 in his last seven innings, a run which also included 76 he made in his team’s opening defeat to South Africa on Saturday.

He had also smashed an impressive 158 in a World Cup warm-up game against Afghanistan.

Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka hit 51 on Tuesday.

Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat in the eighth World Cup 2023 clash.

Pakistan left out struggling opener Fakhar Zaman and brought in Abdullah Shafique from the side that beat the Netherlands in their first game on Friday, also in Hyderabad.

Spinner Maheesh Theekshana comes back for Sri Lanka after missing the 102-run defeat against South Africa in their first match due to a hamstring injury, replacing pacer Kasun Rajitha.

At the toss, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said the pitch looks dry, and almost seemed to suggest he would have bowled first anyway.

“Pakistan has made one change, with Abdullah Shafique coming in for the out-of-form Fakhar Zaman,” ESPNcricinfo quoted him as saying.

Pakistan: 1 Imam-ul-Haq 2 Abdullah Shafique 3 Babar Azam (capt) 4 Mohammad Rizwan(wk) 5 Saud Shakeel 6 Iftikhar Ahmed 7 Shadab Khan 8 Mohammad Nawaz 9 Hasan Ali 10 Shaheen Afridi 11 Haris Rauf

Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka 2 Kusal Perera 3 Kusal Mendis 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama 5 Charith Asalanka 6 Dhananjaya de Silva 7 Dasun Shanaka 8 Dunith Wellalage 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Maheesh Pathirana11 Dilshan Madushanka