Sri Lanka submerged in Rawalpindi tri-series disaster against Pakistan
View(s):
Sri Lanka’s hopes of lifting the Tri Nation Series title crashed dramatically after a spectacular and sustained batting collapse handed Pakistan a comfortable 6-wicket victory in the final played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium last night.
What began as a steady and composed first half of the innings unravelled with alarming speed as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 114 in 19.1 overs, a total that never challenged a confident Pakistan outfit. The home side reached the target with eight balls and seven wickets to spare, completing a clinical and disciplined all round performance that left Sri Lanka searching for answers ahead of next year’s home World Cup.
Sri Lanka looked well set at the halfway mark of their innings on 81-1 with Kamil Mishara anchoring the top order once again. The left-hander produced a fluent and assured innings of 59 off 47 balls which included two fours and four sixes–his successive 50 plus score in the series. His strokeplay appeared measured and controlled on a surface that offered grip to the slower bowlers.
Mohammad Nawaz: Player of the match and player of the series
After Pathum Nissanka fell early to a sharp in swinging delivery from Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mishara combined effectively with Kusal Mendis to rebuild the innings. The pair guided Sri Lanka through the powerplay at 56-1 and looked capable of setting a competitive total.
However the innings began to drift once Mendis was dismissed for 14. His attempt to find a gap on the off side resulted in a simple catch to Babar Azam off Mohammad Nawaz. The dismissal ended a 64-run stand and exposed the middle order at a delicate phase of the innings. Sri Lanka needed to consolidate through the next block of overs, but instead lost momentum as Pakistan applied tight lines and clever changes of pace.
The defining moment arrived when Mishara, the set batsman and the only player who looked fully in control, mistimed a lofted shot and was caught at long off by a diving Babar Azam. His wicket in the fourteenth over triggered a collapse of extraordinary proportions. Sri Lanka moved from a comfortable 98-2 to a dismal 114 all out, losing eight wickets for only 16 runs. The middle order faltered under sustained pressure and the lower order crumbled without resistance.
Abrar Ahmed made the initial breakthroughs that opened the floodgates. His variations in flight and pace accounted for Kusal Perera and Pavan Rathnayake in quick succession. Both batsmen failed to pick his googly and perished while attempting ambitious strokes. With Sri Lanka suddenly struggling for stability, Nawaz intensified the slide with wickets in consecutive overs. Janith Liyanage and Wanindu Hasaranga were both cleaned bowled by the player-of-the-match Nawaz. The stream of dismissals drained any remaining momentum and exposed the tail far earlier than Sri Lanka would have wished.
Shaheen returned to complete a sharp and controlled spell that yielded 3 for 18 from three overs. His ability to angle the ball across the right handers as well as swing it back into the stumps created constant uncertainty. Nawaz finished with three wickets of his own for just 17 runs while Abrar’s spell of 2 for 18 played a decisive role in dragging Sri Lanka into a collapse they never recovered from. Only three Sri Lankan batsmen reached double figures and the final five wickets added only ten runs.
Pakistan approached the chase with confidence despite losing both openers. Sahibzada Farhan struck a brisk 23 before Eshan Malinga cleaned him up with a beautiful delivery while Saim Ayub played positively for his 36 before he was dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga. Salman Agha and Fakhar Zaman were dismissed by part timer Pavan Ratnayake–the best bowling performance in the night for Sri Lanka. Those wickets, however, had little impact on the overall equation as Pakistan required a modest target and had ample overs with which to manage the chase. Babar Azam with an unbeaten 37 steered the innings to lay their hands on the Tri-Series title.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka (Put into bat)
Pathum Nissanka b Afridi 11
Kamil Mishara c Azam b Ayub 59
Kusal Mendis c Azam b Nawaz 14
Pavan Rathnayake c Azam b Nawaz 08
Kusal Perera C Khan b Ahmed 01
Dasun Shanaka b Afridi 02
Janith Liyanage b Nawaz 00
Wanindu Hasaranga b Nawaz 05
Dushmantha Chameera b Mirza 00
Maheesh Theekshana c Khan b Afridi 01
Eshan Malinga not out 00
Extras (lb8, w5) 13
Total (all out; 19.1 overs) 114
Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Nissanka, 2.4ov), 2-84 (Mendis, 10.3ov), 3-98 (Mishara, 13.1ov), 4-103 (Perera, 14.4ov), 5-104 (Rathnayake, 14.6ov), 6-105 (Liyanage, 15.3ov), 7-111 (Hasaranga, 17.5ov), 8-111 (Shanaka, 18.2ov), 9-113 (Theekshana, 18.5ov), 10-114 (Chameera, 19.1ov)
Bowling: Shaheen Afridi 3-0-18-3, Salman Mirza 3.1-0-25-1, Fahim Ashraf 1-0-11-0, Abrar Ahmed 4-0-18-2, Saim Ayub 4-0-17-1, Mohammad Nawaz 4-0-17-3
Pakistan (Target 115)
Sahibzada Farhan b Malinga 23
Saim Ayub lbw b Hasaranga 36
Babar Azam not out 37
Salman Agha c Shanaka b Rathnayake 14
Fakhar Zaman c Shanaka b Rathnayake 03
Usman Khan not out 03
Extras (w2) 02
Total (4 wickets; 18.4 overs) 118
Fall of wickets: 1-46 (Farhan, 7.3ov), 2-75 (Ayub, 11.3ov), 3-98 (Agha, 15.3ov), 4-104 (Zaman, 17.1ov),
Did not bat: Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
Bowling: Maheesh Theekshana 4-0-22-0, Dushmantha Chameera 3.4-0-21-0, Dasun Shanaka 1-0-7-0, Eshan Malinga 3-0-16-1, Wanindu Hasaranga 4-0-31-1, Kamil Mishara 1-0-10-0, Pavan Rathnayake 2-0-11-2