Daily Times

Pakistan whitewashed Sri Lanka in a five-match one-day international series in the United Arab Emirates after winning the final game by nine wickets in Sharjah on Monday (October 23). Sri Lanka, who clean-sweeped Pakistan in the Test series 2-0 preceding the ODI series, gave a dismal and pathetic performance and were beaten black and blue by Sarfraz Ahmad and his charges. This tour of the UAE has been a rare case of one team sweeping the Test series and the other sweeping the ODI series.

It was an agonising series for Sri Lanka, and a series of landmarks for Pakistan. Since their ICC Champions Trophy triumph in June in England, Pakistan have now won nine straight games and are unstoppable in limited-overs cricket. So abysmal was their batting that Sri Lanka were not able to reach the 250-mark even once in the five games against Pakistan. So below average was their bowling that Pakistan easily tamed it. The Sri Lankan batsmen and bowlers, who gave brilliant display of cricket in the longer version, were completely dispirited in the ODI series. It was a poor showing from the Test winners, who slumped to an unbelievable low in the 50-over format.

Sri Lanka’s wretched year in ODIs turned worse with every match of this series. It was Sri Lanka’s third whitewash in the year – previous two being at the hands of South Africa and India – the most number of whitewashes in ODIs against any team in a year. With this series loss and their run of 12 straight ODI losses, Sri Lanka have surely hit rock bottom. Pakistan have previously achieved five clean sweeps in the past, all in series involving five games. They blanked Zimbabwe in 2002-03, Bangladesh in 2003, New Zealand in 2003-04, and Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in the 2008 season.

So dominant Pakistan were in the series that it is difficult to pinpoint an area that needs a definite tune-up. Even without Mohammad Amir in the squad, Sarfraz’s suggestion that Pakistan have the best ODI attack in the world is not outlandish: Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali and Usman Khan Shinwari ripping through the Sri Lanka batting line-up. The batsmen also played their due role: Babar Azam and Imamul Haq firing at the top of the order, and Shoaib Malik batting well in the middle. When required, the lower order also bailed the team out as well.

Imam, nephew of Pakistan great Inzamamul Haq, hit a century on his international debut in the third ODI. Imam, 21, hit two sixes and five fours, but fell for 100. The left-handed opener is the second batsman from his country and 13th overall to hit a century on his ODI debut. His uncle – a former Pakistan captain and now the team’s chief selector – is their leading run-scorer in one-day internationals.

Usman’s performance in the last ODI was exceptional and exhilarating. Playing just his second ODI, Usman destroyed Sri Lanka’s top-order, striking four times in 11 balls and then completing a five-for off his 21st delivery. Since 2001, only two bowlers have completed a five-wicket haul in fewer balls. Chaminda Vaas did it in 16 balls against Bangladesh in Pietermeritzburg in the 2003 World Cup, which included a hat-trick from the first three balls of the innings, and Netherlands’ Timm van der Gugten completed a five-for in 20 balls against Canada in 2013. Usman is only the second Pakistan bowler after Bilal Asif to take a five-wicket haul in his first two ODIs. Bilal also did it in his second match in 2015.

No doubt, Pakistan’s fast bowlers have been sensational in 2017. Statistically, this year has been the best ever for Pakistan’s fast bowlers in terms of strike rate. Hasan took 14 wickets in the series against Sri Lanka and finished the series as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker. The feat of taking 14 wickets in a five-match bilateral series is the highest by any Pakistan bowler. Previously, the record of most wickets for Pakistan in a five-match series was jointly held by Shahid Afridi and Junaid Khan, both of them had 13 wickets in a different five-match ODI series. During the Sri Lanka series, Hasan also completed his 50 ODI wickets in his 24th match to become the quickest from Pakistan to reach this milestone, surpassing former great Waqar Younis. Pakistan have no more ODIs scheduled for this year. They will now look back fondly on a memorable year in ODIs, which has brought them ICC Champions Trophy victory and whitewash of Sri Lanka, and seen the rise of talents such as Babar, Hasan, Shadab, Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Usman and Imam.

Published in Daily Times, October 24^th 2017.