Babar, Shadab star as Pakistan edge Sri Lanka

ABU DHABI: Pakistan won their second day-night One-day International against Sri Lanka by 32 runs on a sluggish Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Needing 220 to win, Sri Lanka were all out for 187 in the 48th over, with Captain Upul Tharanga’s unbeaten century going in vain. He scored a brilliant, fighting 112 off 144 balls, hitting 14 fours, but his teammates let him down. The second top scorer was tail-ender JDF Vandersay who managed 22 in a 76 run eighth-wicket partnership with the captain which frightened the Pakistanis for some time. Shadab Khan starred with both bat and ball for which he was named man of the match. He removed LD Chandimal, TAM Sriwardana and A Dananjaya to deflate the Sri Lankan innings.

Mohammad Hafeez and Hassan Ali also bowled well, giving away only 24 and 31 runs, respectively, in 10 overs each. Earlier, Babar Azam scored a second successive century to lift Pakistan to 219 for 9 in 50 overs.

The 23-year-old knocked a fighting 133-ball 101 and added an invaluable 109 in a seventh-wicket stand with Shadab Khan (52 not out) after Pakistan were struggling at 101 for 6.

Azam had scored 103 in Pakistan’s 83-run win in the first game in Dubai on Friday, giving them a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Pakistan, who won the toss and batted, found the going tough as they lost half the side at the end of 20 overs for just 79, but Azam and Shadab put up a brilliant fight-back.

Azam brought up his seventh one-day hundred off 130 balls — his fourth this year — with a sharp double in the 49th over.

Shadab, who scored 14 not out in his only previous innings, played a support role during which he hit just one boundary off 68 balls.

Sri Lankan new-ball bowlers Lahiru Gamage (4-57) and Suranga Lakmal (1-42) made early inroads with three wickets inside the first power-play of ten overs.

Gamage had Fakhar Zaman dismissed for 11 and Mohammad Hafeez for eight while Lakmal dismissed out-of-form Ahmed Shehzad for eight.

Medium pacer Thisara Perera (2-34) then struck twice, removing Shoaib Malik (11) and Sarfraz Ahmed (five) to leave Pakistan in a spot of bother.

Azam added 22 for the sixth wicket with Imad Wasim (ten) before his stand with Shadab gave Pakistan’s total some respectability. 

Pakistan won toss

Pakistan

Fakhar Zaman c Mendis b Gamage   11

Ahmed Shehzad c Siriwardana b Lakmal     8

Babar Azam c Mendis b Gamage      101

Mohammad Hafeez c Dickwella b Gamage   8

Shoaib Malik c Dickwella b Perera    11

*†Sarfraz Ahmed b Perera    5

Imad Wasim lbw b Vandersay         10

Shadab Khan not out 52

Hasan Ali run out (Dananjaya)        7

Rumman Raees c Dananjaya b Gamage       0

Junaid Khan not out  0

Extras 6 (lb 3, w 3)

Total:  219/9 (50 Overs)

Fall: 1-17, 2-27, 3-40, 4-71, 5-79, 6-101, 7-210, 8-218, 9-218

Bowling: Lakmal 10-0-42-1 (2w), Gamage 10-0-57-4 (1w), Vandersay 9-0-44-1, Perera 10-0-34-2, Dananjaya 9-0-30-0, Siriwardana 2-0-9-0

Sri Lanka

†N Dickwella lbw b Junaid     3

*W U Tharanga not out       112

B K G Mendis c Shehzad b Hasan     10

H D R L Thirimanne lbw b Malik        12

L D Chandimal b Shadab       2

T A M Siriwardana c Babar b Shadab         3

N L T C Perera c Babar b Hafeez     7

A Dananjaya b Shadab        1

J D F Vandersay c Shehzad b Rumman       22

R A S Lakmal run out (Shehzad/Sarfraz)     1

P L S Gamage run out (Rumman Raees)      3

Extras11 (lb 6, w 5)

Total: 187 all out (48 Overs)

Fall: 1-10, 2-30, 3-70, 4-79, 5-83, 6-92, 7-93, 8-169, 9-172, 10-187

Bowling: Junaid 6-0-21-1; Rumman 8-1-37-1; Hasan 10-2-32-1 (2w); Imad 1-0-3-0; Hafeez 10-0-24-1 (2w); Malik 4-0-17-1; Shadab 9-1-47-3 (1w)

Result: Pakistan won by 32 runs

Series result: Pakistan led the 5-match series 2-0

Man of the match: Shadab Khan (Pakistan)

Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Shozab Raza (PAK). TV umpire: Sundaram Ravi (IND). Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)