Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, World Cup 2023: Imam-ul-Haq surpasses Babar Azam as fastest Pak batter to 3000 runs in ODIs

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Pakistan's opener Imam-ul-Haq became the joint-fastest Pakistan batter to 3000 runs during their match against Sri Lanka in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday (October 10).

Imam-Ul-Haq shares the record with Pakistani teammate Fakhar Zaman while surpassing captain Babar Azam in due process. Imam and Fakhar took 67 innings to reach the 3000-mark in ODIs while Azam took an innings more.

Imam-Ul-Haq, nephew of batting legend Inzamam-ul-Haq, is also the second fastest to 3000 runs in ODIs overall as he and Zaman are tied third for the spot with West Indies' Shai Hope while South African batter Hashim Amla took just 57 innings to reach the mark.

Imam-Ul-Haq, however, couldn't celebrate the milestone day big as he got out after scoring just 12 runs while Pakistan were chasing a steep target of 345. At the time of writing, Pakistan were 95/2 in 18 overs with Abdullah Shafiq (43) and Mohammad Rizwan (31).

ICC World Cup 2023 Schedule and Results

Earlier, Sri Lanka posted a 344/9 on the board in 50 overs as Kushal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama scored centuries. Mendis, who scored the fastest century by a Sri Lankan (65 balls) in the World Cup, slammed 122 runs in 77 balls while adding 111 runs for the third wicket with Samarawickrama, who scored 108 runs in 89 balls.

Kusal Mendis' ton is also the sixth fastest century in men's ODI World Cup history with South Africa's Aiden Markram's 49-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in 2023 in Delhi at the top. The innings, however, took a toll on the Sri Lankan batter, who was later taken to hospital due to cramps.

"Kusal Mendis was taken to the hospital after the player suffered cramps upon returning from the field after his brilliant knock in the ongoing game vs Pakistan," the Sri Lanka Cricket board said in a statement.