Kamindu Mendis scores century against Pakistan in Lahore ODI Tri-series final

Following the Indian team's defeat to New Zealand in the fourth T20 match held in Auckland, the public attention was drawn to the exclusion of young player Vaibha Suryavanshi from the squad list. Before this match, the Indian team had already secured three victories and won the series.

Despite the fact that this match was effectively a 'dead rubber,' former Indian opener Akash Chopra expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decision to bench the young Vaibha. He sharply criticized the team selection policy, raising a serious question.

Young Vaibha Suryavanshi, who replaced Ishan Kishan due to injury, demonstrated his potential by scoring 4 and 45 runs in the second and third T20s. However, as soon as Ishan Kishan recovered and returned to play, Vaibha was excluded from the main squad in the fourth match.

Expressing his indignation over this decision, Akash Chopra noted that if one interprets the rules very literally, Vaibha only came in as a replacement during someone's injury, so after Ishan's recovery, he should have given up his spot. Nevertheless, he emphasized that this was a match that did not hold decisive importance.

Akash Chopra harshly criticized the team management, posing a direct and sharp question: will this young player only be given a chance in case another team member is injured? He stated that if such a policy is in place, keeping this young player on the bench is pointless.

Chopra directly asked whether they would only play Vaibha Suryavanshi when someone got injured or couldn't take the field. If so, in his opinion, they should send him home and advise him to play first-class cricket.

He added that while being in the dressing room with experienced players brings a lot of knowledge, if he is not given the opportunity to play on the field for a long time, then what is the point of sitting on the bench?

In conclusion, criticizing the team, Chopra demanded that the management clearly outline a roadmap and plan regarding Vaibha for the future, as ignoring a young athlete in this manner causes great disappointment.

The Sri Lankan national team has suffered a significant blow just before the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan. Star opener Pathum Nissanka was unable to fully recover from a hamstring injury, resulting in his exclusion from the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against Pakistan.

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board officially confirmed this decision. Initially, Pathum Nissanka was included in the starting lineup conditional on receiving medical clearance, but he did not recover in time.

He was previously absent from the T20 series against Pakistan, as well as the ODI three-series between England and host nation Pakistan. Following Nissanka's exclusion, Lahiru Udara was included in the squad.

Lahiru Udara was already in Pakistan with limited Sri Lankan teams for the ODI three-series. It is worth noting that in 2026, Udara demonstrated outstanding performance in the WTC series against the West Indies, scoring his best career Test score of 188 runs.

The Sri Lankan team, under the leadership of Kusal Mendis, will commence this two-match Test series against Pakistan on November 9th at the Rawalpindi Stadium. The second and final match of the series will take place on November 17th at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Although Nissanka's absence is a setback for Sri Lanka's batting order, it provides Udara with an excellent opportunity to prove his worth.

The updated Sri Lankan squad includes Kusal Mendis (captain), Anjali Bhandara, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya D Silva, Sonal Dinusha, Asitha Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumar, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Chamindu Mendis, Kesara Nuwanta, Milan Ratnaka, Pasindu Suriyabanda, and Lahiru Udara.

The first Test is scheduled from November 9th to 13th in Rawalpindi, and the second Test will be held from November 17th to 21st in Lahore.

Despite England captain Harry Brook setting a record by scoring a double century in ODI cricket, the Sri Lankan team managed to overturn this dominance. In a tense ODI Three-Series match held on October 22nd at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka reached the target of 430 runs, securing victory with two wickets remaining.

This success marks the second-largest successful run chase in the history of ODI cricket.

Harry Brook displayed an explosive innings, scoring 202 runs off just 116 balls. He surpassed Shubman Gill's record for completing a double century in 114 balls. Despite this memorable performance, which saw England score 429 runs in 50 overs while losing four batsmen, the team ultimately faced defeat.

When chasing such a large target, Sri Lanka's start was extremely poor: the team lost two batsmen, accumulating only 24 runs. The situation was stabilized thanks to the performances of Avishka Fernando and Pathan Ratnayake. These two added 166 runs for the third wicket, complicating matters for England. Fernando scored 97 runs off 83 balls, including 11 fours and 2 sixes. Ratnayake delivered a magnificent knock, scoring 130 runs off 106 balls, supported by 15 fours and three sixes. This partnership allowed Sri Lanka to regain momentum. Subsequently, Dasun Shanaka took on an aggressive role, scoring 97 runs off just 50 balls, featuring 8 sixes and 6 fours.

In the final over, Sri Lanka needed seven runs with six wickets down. Josh Tongue of England made the match even more thrilling by dismissing Dunith Wellalage and Ishan Malik consecutively. Sri Lanka then needed seven runs from three balls. The tenth batsman, Asitha Fernando, played one ball, handing the strike to Janith Linage. Linage then hit a magnificent six over long-off, securing the victory for Sri Lanka. The team reached the target with one ball remaining. Linage scored 61 runs off 27 balls without being dismissed, hitting 7 fours and 3 sixes.

Sri Lanka registered its largest successful chase in ODI cricket. Previously, their best chase was achieved in 2017 against India at The Oval, where they needed to overcome a target of 322 runs. It is worth noting that the record for the largest successful chase in ODI cricket still belongs to South Africa, who won by scoring 438 runs against Australia in 2006. Sri Lanka also set a record for the largest successful chase in ODI cricket against England.

Table of the largest chases in ODI matches:

• 435 South Africa vs Australia, Johannesburg 2006
• 430 Sri Lanka vs England, Rawalpindi 2026
• 406 India vs West Indies, Guwahati 2026
• 375 Nepal vs West Indies, Harare 2023 (victory in super over)
• 372 South Africa vs Australia, Durban 2016