Pakistan capitulate to hand SL ODI series

Rueful start to World Cup preparations as batsmen cave in for 102 in Dambulla.

DAMBULLA:

Seamer Thisara Perera claimed 4-34 and Tillakartane Dilshan hit an unbeaten 50 as Sri Lanka trounced Pakistan by seven wickets in the final ODI on Saturday to clinch the series 2-1.

Dhammika Prasad chipped in with two wickets as the hosts bowled Pakistan out for 102 and then surpassed the Duckworth-Lewis target of 101 in the 19th over of a one-sided game in Dambulla.

An hour-long rain interruption after Pakistan had slumped to 81-8 in the 26th over of the first session forced the umpires to reduce the game to 48-overs-a-side.

Sri Lanka galloped home in style to build on the 2-0 sweep in the preceding Test series and left Pakistan searching for answers ahead of the World Cup less than six months away.

Opener Upul Tharanga and Kumar Sangakkara fell cheaply before Mahela Jayawardene (26) and Dilshan put on a 41-run stand for the third wicket.

Dilshan cut Shahid Afridi to the fence to bring up his half-century and also seal his team’s easy win.

Fawad Alam top-scored for Pakistan with an unbeaten 38, but eight batsmen failed to reach double figures as the tourists crumbled in 32.1 overs after electing to bat on a slow wicket.

It was Pakistan’s lowest one-day total on Sri Lankan soil, falling below the 116 they made against New Zealand at the same venue in 2003.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said it was not a difficult wicket to bat on.

“There was a bit of tennis-ball bounce, but we should still have scored about 240-250 runs,” said Misbah. “We lost too many wickets early and could not get a decent total.”

Misbah hoped Pakistan will perform better in their next Test and one-day series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates in October.

“That is a really important series and we need to find the right combination ahead of the World Cup,” he added.

Mohsin sights dishonesty in team

Former Test cricketer Mohsin Khan believes the team’s lack of honesty in play led to its dismal performance.

“I’ll have to say this that the players played with dishonesty and didn’t play for the team which is why we lost so badly,” Mohsin told The Express Tribune as reports circulated about Misbah’s captaincy being on the line.

“The batsmen were wreckless in their approach, throwing wickets unnecessarily, and they must be dealt with strongly be it a junior or senior player because cricket is not just a game in Pakistan, it is part of our culture.”

Asked about how he sees the role of the new team management led by Waqar Younis, he stated: “I won’t comment on the tainted team management but there is a need to send out a strong message to both management and players.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2014.

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