ICC World Cup: Asalanka and Shanaka slam fifties versus SA
Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka scored fifties for Sri Lanka against South Africa in match number 4 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Saturday. Chasing a record 429, Sri Lanka saw Kusal Mendis lead the charge with a supreme 76. SA hit back before Asalanka and Shanaka showed some fight toward the end. SA won by 102 runs. Here's more.
Asalanka and Shanaka entertained the crowd
SL were reduced to 150/5 in 20.1 overs before Asalanka and Shanaka got along. An 82-run stand was added for the sixth wicket. Asalanka hit 79 from 65 balls and looked good. He was the chief architect in this stand. Shanaka grew after a slow start and ended up with a score of 68. He smashed six fours and three sixes.
Key numbers for Asalanka and Shanaka
In 42 ODIs for SL, Asalanka has raced to 1,351 runs at 42.21. He slammed his 10th fifty. In four matches versus SA, Asalanka has an impressive 275 runs at 68.75. As per ESPNcricinfo, he has 1,143 runs in Asia at 47.62. Meanwhile, Shanaka has raced to 1,272 runs at 23.12. He slammed his fourth ODI half-century.
SA thrash SL by 102 runs: Match summary
SA went on to accelerate from the 11th over onward as Rassie van der Dussen welcomed Dhannajaya de Silva with a six and two fours. Both Quinton de Kock and Dussen were at their sublime best. However, both players were dismissed shortly after posting tons. Aiden Markram smashed 106. Mendis then gave the charge for Lanka but nobody went on to get triple-digit scores.
