Colombo: Pakistan thrashed Sri Lanka by 135 runs in the third one-day international in Colombo on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The tourists piled up the highest total in the series so far of 316-4 after electing to bat and then bowled Sri Lanka out for 181 at the Premadasa stadium. Earlier, Sarfraz Ahmed scored 77 and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez playing as a batsman only after a bowling ban made 54 as Pakistan.
Hafeez’s fourth score of 50-plus in the last six one-day innings built on a 93-run opening stand between Ahmed Shehzad (44) and skipper Azhar Ali (49). Sarfraz, promoted to number four from lower down the order, justified the captain’s faith with seven boundaries in his 74-ball knock at the Premadasa stadium. The gutsy wicket-keeper put on 72 for the third wicket with Hafeez and 61 for the fourth with Shoaib Malik to boost the total, before he was run out in the 45th over.
Malik, watched from the stands by his tennis-playing Indian wife Sania Mirza, struck an unbeaten 42 from 29 balls and shared an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 59 with Mohammad Rizwan (35 not out). The pair smashed 21 runs in the last over bowled by Lasith Malinga to leave Sri Lanka chasing the highest total in the series so far. The five-match series is level at 1-1 after Pakistan won the opening match in Dambulla last Saturday and Sri Lanka took the second in Pallekele on Wednesday.
Hafeez, 34, had been banned from bowling for a year by the International Cricket Council on Friday after his action was ruled to be illegal for the second time in the last eight months. But the former captain ensured he contributed with the bat with a stroke-filled half-century to follow his 103 in the opening match of the series. While Sri Lanka fielded an unchanged side, the tourists replaced batsman Babar Azam with debutant left-arm spinner Imad Wasim to bolster the bowling.
Scorecard
Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad c Pathirana b Malinga 44, Azhar Ali run out 49, Mohammad Hafeez c K. Perera b Pathirana 54, Sarfraz Ahmed run out 77, Shoaib Malik (not out) 42, Mohammad Rizwan (not out) 35. Extras (b-4, lb-1, w-8, n-b2) 15. Total (for four wickets in 50 overs) 316. FoW: 1-93, 2-124, 3-196, 4-257.
Bowling: Mathews 8-0-52-0, Pradeep 9-0-47-0, Malinga 10-0-80-1, Pathirana 10-0-49-1, T. Perera 10-0-63-0, Dilshan 3-0-20-0.
Sri Lanka: M. Perera c Sarfraz Ahmed b A. Ali 20, T. Dilshan c A. Ali b A. Ali 14, H. Thirimanne c S. Ahmed b Rahat Ali 56, W. Tharanga st S. Ahmed b Y. Shah 16, A. Mathews c S. Malik b Y. Shah 4, L. Chandimal b I. Wasim 18, N. Perera c A. Ali b Yasir Shah 12, T. Siriwardana run out (S. Malik/S. Ahmed) 2, S. Pathirana c A. Ali b Y. Shah 19, S. Malinga b I. Wasim 6, N. Pradeep (not out) 3. Extras (b-4, lb-1, w-5, nb-1). 11. Total (all out in 41.1 overs) 181. FoW: 1-33, 2-42, 3-82, 4-93, 5-130, 6-142, 7-144, 8-170, 9-172, 10-181.
Bowling: M. Irfan 7-1-32-0, A. Ali 5-0-24-2, R. Ali 7-0-35-1, S. Malik 5-0-28-0, Y. Shah 10-1-29-4, I.
Wasim 7.1-0-28-2.
