Pakistan takes the ODI and T20 Series in Style

After their loss in the tests Sri Lanka looked to come back hard and win the limited overs format. But Pakistan had other plans. They were in no mood to let go their good winning form. Though Pakistan cricket has been facing so much turmoil with controversies coming to the forefront every now and then, but their on-field form has been superb. Tillekratne Dilshan led Sri Lanka have many stars while Pakistan are still trying to rebuild a side that has lost many key players due to the spot fixing controversy. Though some of the old heads in the form of Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik were recalled to the side but the crux of this Misbah ul-Haq led side was youth. There were 5 ODIs and 1 T20 international to be played to complete the Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka series.

FIRST ODI

Shahid Afridi made a great comeback with three wickets

First ODI was played at Dubai, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat on a strip that looked to slow down with the game. But Sri Lanka was bowled for 131 in 40.3 overs. Top scorer for the Lankans was Upul Tharanga (25) and Mahela Jayawardena (24) was the second highest scorer. Shahid Afridi made a good comeback to International cricket with figures of 3 for 27 while Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez picked up two wickets a piece. Pakistan made a short work of the chase and got to 132 for the loss of two wickets in 21.5 overs. Imran Farhat (50 off 65) and Younus Khan (56 not out off 57) helped themselves to half centuries.  It was an overwhelming victory for Pakistan.

SECOND ODI

Lasith Malinga turned the second ODI in Sri Lanka's favor 

Sri Lanka again won the toss and elected to bat in the second ODI. But this time they showed an improved performance with half centuries from Upul Tharanga (77 off 120) and Mahela Jayawardena (50 off 57). Sri Lanka put up a score of 235 for 7 wickets. Saeed Ajmal picked up three for 61. When chasing Pakistan had not many significant contributions apart from Umar Akmal (91 off 102), and they folded up for 210 in 46.3 overs. Lasith Malinga picked up three wickets for 36 to be named the man of the match. So Sri Lanka made a good comeback into the series.

THIRD ODI

Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat during their century stand

In the third ODI Misbah finally won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. Pakistan got off to a great start with a 151 run stand between Mohammad Hafeez (83 off 101) and Imran Farhat (70 off 82). Younus Khan made a handy contribution of 42 runs (off 52 balls) in the middle overs. Pakistan ended their innings at 257 for 8. Sri Lanka competed effectively with contributions from their captain Tilllakratne Dilshan (64 off 78), Kumar Sangakkara (45 off 66) and Angelo Matthews (32 off 40). But they fell short by 21 runs and ended at 236 in 48.5 overs. Umar Gul took 3 for 48 and Ajmal picked up three for 42. Mohammad Hafeez was named the man of the match.

FOURTH ODI

Shahid Afridi's Performance with the Ball and Bat Helped Pakistan win Fourth ODI

The venue shifted to Sharjah for fourth ODI. Pakistan again won the toss and elected to bat. Batting first Pakistan got to a total of 200 in 49.3 overs. Shahid Afridi sizzled with the bat scoring 75 off 65 balls while Dilhara Fernando picked up three wickets for 26 runs. Sri Lanka looked helpless from the on-set against disciplines Pakistani bowling. Though Sangakkara (58 off 103) and Jayawardena (55 off 87) tried to ttake the islanders home, but once they fell there was little resistance and the innings folded for 174 in 45.2 overs. Shahid Afridi ended a perfect day by picking up 5 for 35. He was named the man of the match for his all round show. So Pakistan clinched the series 3-1 in their favour with a match remaining.  

FIFTH ODI

Sohail Tanvir picked up four wickets in Fifth ODI

Fifth ODI was played in Abu Dhabi and Sri Lanka looked keen to salvage some pride after losing the series.  Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat as was the trend throughout the series. Valuable innings from Kumar Sangakkara ( 78 off 100) and Angelo Matthews (61 off 101) saw the Lankans reach 218 for 9. The comeback man Sohail Tanvir picked up 4 for 34. Pakistan seemed to be in control all through the chase Misbah ul-Haq (66 off 99) and Umar Akmal (61 off 60) scored half centuries, they received able support from Younus Khan (34 off 48) and Asad Shafiq (26 off 38). Pakistan completed their victory in 47.2 overs with 3 wickets still left in the bank.

ONE-OFF T20

Skipper Misbah ul-Haq played a useful knock in T20 match

After the ODI series it was the turn of one-off T20 match in Abu Dhabi. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat. But they were bowled out for 141 with 3 balls still remaining. Dinesh Chandimal (56 off 44) top scored in the innings with Dilshan (28 off 15) being the next best scorer. Aizaz Cheema had great figures of 4 for 30. Pakistan had significant contributions all along the way. Asad Shafiq (33 off 33), Misbah ul-Haq (48 off 38) and Shahid Afridi (22 off 15) were the main contributors. So it turned out to be a total whitewash for the Sri Lankans. They were defeated in all formats of the game and not many could have predicted this outcome at the beginning of the series.