ODI World Cup 2023: Mohammed Siraj imitates Asia Cup final with quickfire wickets, destroys SL top order

It was Deja Vu time for Mohammed Siraj on Thursday (Nov 2) against Sri Lanka after a breath-taking spell to destroy Sri Lanka's top order in the ODI World Cup contest.

In a repeat of the Asia Cup final, Siraj scalped three wickets to get the better of Sri Lanka's top order while reminding of his exploits when he stunned the opposition with six wickets.

Thanks to his early domination, Sri Lanka were 3/4 in the first three overs while chasing a monster 358-run target.

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Siraj on fire

Having started the spell with the new ball, Siraj got the better of Dimuth Karunaratne (0) on the first ball of the innings and looked on course for back-to-back wickets when he got Sadeera Samarawickrama caught behind.

However, the new batter quickly reviewed the decision by the standing umpire, upon which he was given not out. However, Samarawickrama’s joy did not last long, and was dismissed on the fifth ball of the innings for a duck.

The star speedster would then scalp skipper Kusal Mendis for 1 on the first ball of his second over. Four of Sri Lanka’s batters were out on binary numbers of 0 and 1, which saw them in a vulnerable position.

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Earlier, India scored 357/8 from 50 overs with Shreyas Iyer nearing a hundred before he was scalped at 82.

Approaching his 49th ton in the ODI World Cup, Virat Kohli was scalped on the third ball of the 32nd over before he was sent packing home.

His 88-run innings saw him score 11 fours and was striking at a good rate of 94. He along with Gill stitched an 189-run stand for the second wicket, with Gill departing after being caught by Pathum Nissanka.

Both Virat and Gill were dismissed by Madushanka in quick succession as the Islanders were back in the game having suffered a lot from the pair.

Virat’s ODI World Cup in numbers

85 vs Australia, Chennai

55* vs Afghanistan, Delhi

16 vs Pakistan, Ahmedabad

103* vs Bangladesh, Pune

95 vs New Zealand, Dharamshala

0 vs England, Lucknow

88 vs Sri Lanka, Mumbai

At the time of writing, Sri Lanka were 14/6 in 10 overs. Interestingly, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 50 in the Asia Cup final and looked on course for another embarrassment.