Sharjah ODI series: Pakistan vanquish Sri Lanka with a 113-run victory

The win gives a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

SHARJAH: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by a convincing 113-run margin in the third day-night international in Sharjah on Sunday.

Mohammad Hafeez notched a career best 140 not out for his eighth one-day hundred to help Pakistan to 326-5 in 50 overs before Sri Lanka were dismissed for 213 in 44.4 overs.

Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 59 while skipper Angelo Mathews made 44.

The win gave Pakistan a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Hafeez accounted for the dangerous Dinesh Chandimal (36) and Seekkugge Prasanna (22) in an incisive spell to thwart any hopes Sri Lanka had harboured.

Paceman Umar Gul, playing his first match since March this year after a knee operation, gave Pakistan a sound start by dismissing Kusal Perera (seven) and Dimuth Karunaratne (nought) in his first spell of five overs and then had the last man Lasith Malinga to finish with 3-19.

Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan hit ten boundaries in an aggressive 62-ball knock of 59 but fell to Shahid Afridi as the Sri Lankan innings fell apart.

Commenting during the presentation ceremony, Hafeez said, “I was trying to not get bogged down, I was trying to play technical shots, Ahmed played really well, took the pressure on, the partnership gave us momentum, bowlers did a great job on this sort of pitch.

Upset with the innings Angelo Mathews said, “It was a disappointing performance all round to be honest. If you are chasing 320, you need to get a good start and give the middle order players a chance, that didn’t happen. We need to win next game to stay alive in the series so we’ll come out firing.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2013.