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Rankings reveal so little. They are empirical aggregates of a team’s results in the most absolute terms. But they can’t possibly measure a team’s ability to regroup, consolidate and strike back. Once you have peeled back all those layers, it becomes easier to accept that all other things considered, you can’t really predict how a side comprising individuals with varying endurance levels react to a certain situation.
Like Sri Lanka. A current ranking of eighth looks pretty fair when you start weighing their immediate performance—conceding three hundreds in a world record score, bowling reputation in tatters, confidence taking a massive nosedive, all in the space of 50 overs. On another day, the batting would have warranted some talk on how it didn’t at least capitulate under the weight of South Africa’s 428. But scrutiny was placed squarely, wholly on the bowling.
Recovering from a slump like that requires extraordinary resilience. Enter Kusal Mendis—freak of nature and an absolute fearless striker of the ball. Shaheen Afridi tried to shape the ball across him but Mendis stood tall and pulled it over midwicket. Another ball outside off—and this is just after Afridi couldn’t hold on to a slightly difficult return catch—and he slashed it hard over third man boundary.
Dropped again, by Imam-ul-Haq at backward point this time, Mendis wasn’t holding back anymore, cutting and pulling Mohammad Nawaz for boundaries. Haris Rauf went wide of the crease but Mendis opened his bat late; and when Shadab Khan tossed up a leg-break, Mendis sank to his knee and muscled him over midwicket for a six.
Hundred came in breezy fashion, from a flicked six off the 65th ball he had faced—the quickest by a Sri Lankan in a World Cup—when the sparse Hyderabad crowd was still catching their breath after Afridi had been carted for three consecutive boundaries.
It had become a tango by then, with Sadeera Samarawickrama hitting the ground running with a flurry of boundaries against Shadab and Rauf. Sri Lanka were on autopilot by then, even after Mendis had been dismissed in the 29th over. By the time Samarawickrama was caught trying a reverse pull, he had coasted to 108 off 89, guiding Sri Lanka to an already imposing 335.
A last over from Rauf reading 0, W, 0, 0, 1, W however was just the small win Pakistan needed to head back to the dressing room thinking at least something was salvaged out of what could have been an out and out carnage. Pakistan–currently ranked second—have built quite a reputation that isn’t limited only to their batting. The start was expectedly slow, but Imam soon buckled to the pressure, spearing Dilshan Madushanka to fine-leg.
It was the cue for Babar Azam to do his thing. Numbers suggest he owns this format, not to forget the elegance and the laidback ruthlessness his batting exudes. First ball, and out came an exquisite flick of Madushanka that beat a desperate dive of the fielder at short mid-wicket. Babar had set sail. Lines were adjusted, Babar’s legs were targeted. Futile, maintained Ramiz Raja in commentary, because these were easy pickings for Babar, or for that matter any subcontinent batter worth some pedigree. But this was the day Babar fell short, tickling the ball down the leg for a tame dismissal. Pakistan were 37/2, Sri Lanka were sniffing a chance.
Abdullah Shafique had other plans though. Picked ahead of Fakhar Zaman, Shafique has a point to prove. Already a purveyor of some record-bending feats in Tests, Shafique hasn’t broken through the ranks in white-ball cricket.
So, he quickly got down to work, hammering Dasun Shanaka for two fours before targeting Dhananajaya de Silva’s modest off-break. Every shot looked measured in an innings hinging largely on well-run twos. The ever-smiling Mohammad Rizwan was at the other end, so running between the wickets wasn’t a problem.
On days like this, Rizwan just looks the part—calm, rock solid, slowly stepping up to a busy combative mode that had Sri Lanka on the mat even before they knew it. His bullish brilliance seeped through the choice of shots, largely sticking to the ground, savvily working out the fields, not taking risks and slowly watering down the target. It was unnerving for Sri Lanka, especially for fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana who was spraying the ball around, ending up conceding nine wides.
As long as Shafique was batting, he was in charge of the big shots. And once the cramps got him real good, Rizwan too junked caution for some free-flowing shots. When that happened, Sri Lanka knew the dice had been cast. Pakistan had once again proven why they are serious World Cup contenders.
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