Pakistan rolled to an easy seven wicket triumph over Sri Lankain a puerile final round robin game at the seventh Pepsi AsiaCup in Dhaka this evening
Sankhya Krishnan05-Jun-2000Pakistan rolled to an easy seven wicket triumph over Sri Lankain a puerile final round robin game at the seventh Pepsi AsiaCup in Dhaka this evening. Set a target of 193, Yousof Youhanawas the prime mover in the Pakistani reply as the Lankans triedeverything to nip his budding second wicket stand with Mohd.Wasim, including an attempt by Upul Chandana to physicallyincapacitate Youhana with a throw that homed in on his elbow ashe raced between the wickets.The batsman was in no mood to forgive that assault on his personas he carved out an unbeaten 90, hitting a six each off Aravindaand Jayusiriya at either end of the ground, besides strokingeight boundaries. It took Youhana’s tournament tally to 270 atan average of 270.00! Wasim had been seen off by Muralitharanfor a patient 44, after compiling 107 in association with Youhana,and Inzamam-ul-Haq holed out to midon on the doorstep of victory.The Pakistanis even weathered a ball change two runs adrift beforeclosing the game out unhurriedly in the 49th over.The Pakistani win was abetted in part by some untypically sloppyrunning between the wickets by the Sri Lankans after they wereinserted. The islanders batted as though in a daze, withouta trace of their usual peppiness, excepting for one bright sparkwhen Marvan Atapattu and Upul Chandana joined hands in the middleof the innings. When the fifth run out terminated the inningsin the penultimate over, Dav Whatmore bolted into the confinesof the dressing room with murder in his eye. If looks could kill,the Sri Lankans would not have emerged into the twilight to takethe field.Although Pakistan rested three of their biggest cannons, SaeedAnwar, Wasim Akram and Abdur Razzaq, the Lankans took the fieldin full earnest. Chandana returned for Dilshan and Sajeewa deSilva was given an outing in place of his fellow left arm seamer,Nuwan Zoysa. Shoaib Malik knocked the middle stump clean out ofthe ground from short mid wicket to send Aravinda de Silva packingfor 2 but Sanath Jayasuriya briefly threatened to impose hisstamp on the proceedings, spanking five boundaries in a run aball 28, until Mahmood got him to topedge an intended pull toArshad Khan at mid off. Four runs later, providence smiled onMarvan Atapattu, then on 10, as he flicked Mohd. Akram with pinpointprecision to mid wicket where Mohd. Wasim contrived to floorthe offering.While Pakistan’s catching woes continued to spill over from thelast match, one man lifted them in the field with some spectacularathleticism. Imran Nazir is a pure joy to watch whether he’sfiring from the batting crease or prowling in the environs ofpoint. Vice captain Mahela Jayawardene was taken out cheaplyby Mahmood but Atapattu and Russell Arnold added exactly 50 forthe fourth wicket as Sri Lanka mounted a slow recovery. The runouts, in quick sequence, of Arnold and Romesh Kaluwitharana, putshort shrift to any ambitious restoration plans.Atapattu and Chandana added 62 in under 12 overs as the latterprovided some sparse entertainment to the multitudes, executinga six off Shoaib Malik and then belting paceman Shabbir Khanover long on for another. Atapattu had been a picture of sobriety,passing 50 in 89 balls, but a delightful roll of the wrists tobeat fine leg indicated that his appetite had now been whetted.When Nazir at point sent him on his way for 62 (105 balls) witha glorious diving snaffle, which had to be confirmed by TV umpireAkhter Uddin Shahin, the innings rapidly went downhill. Thelast five wickets plunged for 25 runs as Shoaib Malik, the otherbundle of energy on the field, took two catches to add to thetwo run outs he effected earlier. Chandana made a gallant 46(57 balls) while Azhar Mahmood, returning after a long injurylayoff, took three scalps for minimal cost.