During Pakistan's second match in the 2023 World Cup against Sri Lanka, left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq achieved a significant milestone by reaching 3,000 one-day international (ODI) runs.
This accomplishment makes him one of the joint second-fastest batters to reach this milestone. Imam completed these 3,000 ODI runs in 67 innings, surpassing his captain Babar Azam, who achieved it in 68 innings.
He shares this feat with his teammate Fakhar Zaman and West Indies' Shai Hope, both of whom also reached 3,000 runs in 67 innings. The fastest batter to reach this milestone is South Africa's Hashim Amla, accomplishing it in just 57 innings. In the same match, Sri Lanka set a challenging target of 345 runs for Pakistan.
Sri Lankan batters Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama delivered outstanding performances, both scoring centuries. Despite an early setback with the dismissal of opening batter Kusal Perera, Sri Lanka recovered well, particularly due to a 102-run partnership between opener Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, who scored a remarkable 122 runs.
Sadeera Samarawickrama's brilliant innings of 108 runs anchored Sri Lanka's total. In the bowling department, Hassan Ali impressed with figures of 4-71 from 10 overs, while Haris Rauf secured 2-64 from his 10 overs.