Pakistan record their second consecutive win at the ODI World Cup 2023. After getting past Netherlands int he tournament opener, they blitzed past Sri Lanka in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Pakistan chased a whopping target of 345 runs in under 49 overs against Sri Lanka.
Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique were the pick of the batters for the Men in Green. Rizwan scored an unbeaten 131, while Shafique played a heroic knock of 113 runs.
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Rizwan's innings came in for praise all around as he was seen battling painful cramps during his knock. Despite struggling to even get up at one point, Rizwan refused to bow down and fought on to help Pakistan pull off the greatest run chase in ODI World Cup history.
Interestingly, he was seen falling on the floor on his follow through after hitting a six of Dunith Wellalage and writhing in pain. He was also seen punching his leg multiple times to numb the pain and bat on.
However, not all his antics of "fighting cramps" was genuine.
Here's the clippic.twitter.com/gcWcBpBxxI
— TZ𝕏Kraken🇮🇳 (@TZxKRAKEN) October 10, 2023
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Rizwan - It was sometimes cramps, sometimes acting!
Speaking after the game, Rizwan was seen joking when asked by the TV presenter if he had felt a lot of pain.
He said, "No. It was sometimes cramps, and sometimes acting." The Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman then laughed it off as a joke.
He did not just say that😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/fI2WTgZEJw
— Zak (@Zakr1a) October 10, 2023
What did Rizwan say in the post-match presentation?
Rizwan confessed that he was proud of the way he performed in what was a difficult chase.
"Always proud when you perform like that. It was difficult and when you chase like that, it's always special. Every player in the dressing room had the belief we can chase that", Rizwan said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Rizwan also admitted that the track had something to favour the batters, and it was all about calculation in the end. Talking about his cramps, he said that not all cramps are painful, and he would play through pain if he felt okay.
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Who will win the World Cup?
India, England and Australia are among the favourites to win the World Cup. Pakistan and New Zealand are tied on odds for the spot of the fourth team in the top four, while South Africa too stand a decent chance of making the semis.
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