Pakistan overcame a remarkable spell from the furious spinner Wanindu Hasaranga to defeat Sri Lanka by five wickets in a gripping Super 4 match, keeping their Asia Cup hopes alive on Tuesday.
Chasing 134
should have been straightforward, but Pakistan nearly faltered before recovering to reach 138 for five.
The batting conditions were challenging, but Pakistan’s batters attacked early. Opener Sahibzada Farhan (24) compensated for a sluggish Fakhar Zaman (17 off 19 balls) at the other end, hitting some aggressive shots, including a sequence of 6, 6, 4 off pacer Nuwan Thushara.
However, Maheesh Theekshana (2/24) dismissed Farhan with the third ball of the sixth over and two balls later removed Zaman, who had earlier been struck flush on the helmet by Dushmantha Chameera.
Hasaranga (2/27) soon took over, catching Zaman spectacularly at mid-off and then dismissing Saim Ayub and skipper Salman Agha.
His delivery that bowled Ayub was exceptional, moving just enough to beat the batter’s defence.
Both times, Hasaranga mimicked the hands-on-chest celebration of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed, who had earlier mocked the Lankan player by copying his ‘Neymar’ celebration after dismissing him.
At 80 for five, the match was wide open, with Pakistan still needing 54 runs. A defeat would have eliminated them from the tournament.
However, Hussain Talat (32 not out, 30 balls) and Mohammad Nawaz (38 not out, 24 balls) collected the remaining runs calmly, as Pakistan finished the chase with two overs to spare.
Earlier, Pakistan’s pacers put Sri Lanka’s batters under pressure, despite Kamindu Mendis’ fine fifty, restricting them to a vastly under-par 133 for eight.
Sent in to bat, Sri Lanka made a poor start, losing in-form Kusal Mendis on the second ball, and an over later, their most consistent batter in the tournament, Pathum Nissanka, also walked back.
On a night that offered plenty of seam movement for pacers, Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/28) made the first breakthrough, eliciting an uppish flick from Mendis that ended with Talat.
Nissanka smashed Afridi for a maximum but edged the very next ball to wicketkeeper Haris, leaving Sri Lanka at 18 for two.
However, skipper Charith Asalanka and Kusal Perera staged a mini-recovery with a 25-run partnership for the third wicket.
Both Asalanka and Perera looked in good touch, each hitting a six, but the partnership didn’t last long.
Perera attempted to chip pacer Haris Rauf over the circle, but Faheem Ashraf took a well-judged diving catch to break the stand.
Sri Lanka ended the powerplay at 53 for three. However, things worsened as they lost Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka on consecutive balls in the eighth over.
Pacer Talat drew Asalanka into a pull, but the shot lacked distance, and Rauf took an easy catch near square leg.
On the very next ball, Shanaka edged Talat to Haris behind the wicket, pushing Sri Lanka down to 58 for five.
Mendis (50, 44 balls) played some delightful shots and tried to salvage something for Sri Lanka with a determined fifty, stitching a 43-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Chamika Karunaratne, taking them past 100.
With PTI Inputs
