Sharjah: Misbah-ul-Haq had implored his top order to produce an innings of substance in the approach to the series but even he may not have expected his top four to respond as emphatically as they did. Two young batsmen stroked alluring half-centuries, while Mohammad Hafeez ended his poor form with a canny 122, to set up Pakistan’s third-highest total in 115 matches at Sharjah. Misbah had also warned his side that Sri Lanka don’t stop fighting, and he perhaps hadn’t expected his side to ignore that advice so flatly either.
When they had Sri Lanka at 221 for 7 in the 42th over, Pakistan allowed feeble bowling and inept fielding to creep in, and Seekkuge Prasanna and Sachithra Senanayake produced a courageous 87-run stand that drew Sri Lanka to within 15 runs of the target with eight balls remaining. In the end, the Sri Lankan tailenders could not sustain their fire. Senanayake toe-ended one to deep cover and the chase unraveled quickly after that, handing Pakistan an 11-run victory.
More to follow …
50 overs Pakistan 322 for 5 (Hafeez 122, Maqsood 73, Sharjeel 61) v Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka will have to orchestrate the biggest chase in Sharjah in order to win the first ODI after Pakistan breezed to 322 for 5, on a canny Mohammad Hafeez 122 and two sparkling half-centuries from youngsters Sharjeel Khan and Sohaib Maqsood. The captain Misbah-ul-Haq – so often the rock of Pakistan’s innings – was not even required, and he will no doubt notice that Sri Lanka’s spinners maintained better economy rates than their faster men. On a pitch he expected to deteriorate under lights, he will have the use of three fast bowlers.
Hafeez had been relatively quiet in the early overs, perhaps aware that he had not crossed 35 in his last eight ODI innings. Despite his caution, his innings did not suffer from lack of intent. Sharjeel’s fluent hand at the other end had prized open spaces in the outfield after the mandatory Powerplay, and Hafeez mined the gaps conscientiously, even if he did begin his scoring with two sleek fours off genuinely poor balls.
And that was to be the hallmark of his entire knock. Occasionally he took on the more benign elements of Sri Lanka’s attack, like when he blasted a six and a four of Tillakaratne Dilshan in the 20th over, but although he scored at a strike rate comfortably over 90, he had hit only four fours and two sixes in his first 75 runs. The death overs drew a crescendo from him as well, but even late in the innings, the heavier hits often came when he turned the strike over to the man at the other end. He made an exception when he launched one into the stands behind long on to reach triple figures 43rd over, and he fell attempting a big shot as well, with only two balls to go in the innings.
Sharjeel’s bright half-century had set Pakistan off apace when he posted a bold riposte to Lasith Malinga, who had struck him on the shoulder first ball of the fourth over. Sharjeel hooked the next ball into the square-leg stand, then whipped two more leg-side fours in the over, announcing his promise on the international stage in earnest, on his way to an unruffled run-a-ball 61. The ease with which he struck through the line, though, made plain the friendliness of the surface, and perhaps of the fast bowling as well.
In only his sixth ODI, Maqsood was just as free-flowing through the middle overs as he shadowed Hafeez’ modus operandi quickly, and set about manipulating the field almost as well as the senior man. He hit four sixes, all of them over wide long-on, but there were only two fours in his 73, which came from 68 balls. He and Hafeez had hit 140 together for the third wicket, before a misunderstanding caused a run-out.
Pakistan’s rapid progress was for the most part, effortless. They sped on at around six an over for much of the innings, without ever making their pace seem frenetic. Poor balls were dispatched severely, particularly by Sharjeel at the top of the batting order and Maqsood later on, but it was Pakistan’s method in between the big shots that defined their innings. Singles were their staple and twos were never far between. Hafeez ran Sri Lanka’s outfielders ragged, and with eight wickets in the tank, Pakistan accelerated after 40 overs as weary men on the fence surrendered runs they would usually have saved.
At times, only a perfect yorker seemed immune to being worked away, so Sri Lanka’s quicker men attempted plenty of those. They had success with it in the middle overs, as Malinga was instrumental in conceding only 25 in the batting Powerplay, but later in the innings they began to miss their length, and Pakistan were unforgiving. Shahid Afridi walloped two sixes in three balls to help plunder 18 from Suranga Lakmal in the 46th over. Lakmal only played because Sri Lanka had bafflingly omitted Nuwan Kulasekara for this match, and his early-overs penetration and experience at the death could not have been so starkly missed.
Afridi burnt white hot for 12 balls, clubbing three sixes and two fours in his 34, as he propelled Pakistan well beyond 300. The score was their third highest at the ground in 115 matches.
Pakistan 322 for 5 (Hafeez 122, Maqsood 73, Sharjeel 61) beat Sri Lanka 311 (Kusal 64, Junaid 3-44)
