Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Pakistan Defeated Sri Lanka by 8 Wickets in the First ODI

(This entry was originally published on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009)

Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in the first match of the three-match ODI series today at the National Stadium, Karachi. Pakistan pulled off the emphatic victory thanks to Salman Butt’s unbeaten century and pacer Iftikhar Anjum’s career best bowling performance as he picked up 4 wickets for 42 runs. Sri Lanka decided to bat first after winning the toss, but Sri Lankan batsmen failed to put on a big total on the board as they got all out for 219 with 28 balls remaining in their innings. Pakistani batsman did not face any problem in chasing down the winning target of 220 runs as they reached the target losing only 2 wickets with 25 balls in hands.

Sri Lankan openers Sanath Jayasuria and Tillakaratne Dilshan managed 71 runs for the opening partnership. Both the openers were aggressive from the very beginning and stated going after Pakistani pacers. However, they got out just after getting set in the wicket with Dilshan being dismissed off Umar Gul for 42 and Jayasuria being trapped in LBW for 38, becoming the second victim of Gul. However, the highest 49 runs of Sri Lankan innings came from wicketkeeper Sangakara’s bat. In the middle order no Sri Lankan batsmen could resist well against Pakistani pacers with Gull picking up 3 and Iftikhar getting 4 wickets. In reply, Pakistani openers Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor ensured their victory as they shared a 168 runs in the first wicket with Butt scoring 100 not out and Khurram scoring 83 runs. Salman Butt was awarded man of the match for his excellent hundred.

No comments:

Post a Comment