Pakistan's cricket team achieved a historic victory as they defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in a remarkable Cricket World Cup run chase. The Green Shirts, led by standout performances from Muhammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique, successfully pursued a formidable target of 345 runs.
In this high-stakes match, Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama had initially put Sri Lanka in a commanding position by scoring centuries. However, the 1992 champions managed to secure the win by crossing the finish line in 48.2 overs, with Muhammad Rizwan's unbeaten 131 and Abdullah Shafique's impressive 113 leading the way.
Notably, this record-breaking run chase surpassed the previous highest chase in World Cup history, which was held by Ireland with their 329-run chase against England in the 2011 edition.
After the victory, wicketkeeper-batter Muhammad Rizwan took to X (formerly Twitter) to dedicate his match-winning performance to the oppressed Palestinians, saying, "This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Happy to contribute to the win. Credits to the whole team, especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali, for making it easier."
Muhammad Rizwan also expressed his gratitude to the people of Hyderabad for their tremendous support and warm hospitality during the tournament.
Amidst this sporting success, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip was highlighted, with over 260,000 people being forced to flee their homes due to heavy Israeli bombardments from the air, land, and sea, as reported by the United Nations.