Daily Times

KARACHI: Pakistan defeated visiting Sri Lanka by 67 runs in the second one-day international of a three-match series at National Stadium Karachi before a packed house here on Monday evening. Chasing target of 306, Sri Lanka could muster only 238 all out in 46.5 overs with Usman Shinwari taking 5 wickets for 51 runs, giving Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the series. The long-awaited first ODI between the two sides was called off due to heavy rain in the metropolis on Friday. The second ODI, which was originally scheduled for Sunday, was rescheduled for Monday and the third match will be played on Wednesday (tomorrow). Yesterday’s match was the first ODI played in Karachi after a yawning gap of exactly 3,901 days, equivalent to 10 years, eight months and six days. The two teams will also play three Twenty20 internationals in Lahore on October 5, 7 and 9.

Sri Lanka were down and out at 28-5 before youngsters Shehan Jayasuriya and Dasun Shanaka staged a fightback during their record 177-run stand — an ODI record for this wicket for Sri Lanka. Jayasuriya missed his maiden hundred by four runs while Shanaka notched his highest ODI score of 68, but both fell in the space of three balls to surrender the fight. Jayasuriya hit seven boundaries and a six in his 107-ball knock while Shanaka had six fours and two sixes in his 80 balls.

Earlier, Babar Azam hammered a scintillating century as Pakistan amassed 305 for the loss of seven scalps. Babar’s knock of 115 was a treat watch. It was a wonderful show, chanceless with all kinds of conventional shots all around and some serious running between the wickets as he marked his first match in Karachi with his eleventh ODI ton. In the process, he became the fastest Pakistani to get to 1000 ODI runs in a calendar year (getting it in 17 innings) and became the third quickest in the world to 11 ODI centuries (getting there in 71 innings). After Babar’s departure, Iftikhar Ahmed took over with a cameo to lift Pakistan beyond 300. At one stage though, it looked like the lower middle order had lost the plot in the quest to go after everything at the death, and failing badly, before Iftikhar redeemed proceedings with a 20-run final over off Nuwan Pradeep.

What seemed like a mini-surprise at the toss with Sarfaraz Ahmed opting to bat first on a pitch that was under covers amidst a deluge for over two days, turned into quite a masterstroke. The strip was a typically Asian deck –– slow, low, flat, something the openers, Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman, took full toll of, notching up a fifty-plus opening stand.

Just when things were meandering around with the batsmen milking runs for fun, Wanidu Hasaranga struck, with some help from Imam, who played around a rather straightforward delivery. The DRS did what the umpire couldn’t, adjudge the LBW appeal to be plumb. Fakhar Zaman stroked his way to a quick fifty, but just when he’d have hoped to convert it into a big one, Hasaranga’s googly and an ungainly hoick saw him walk back after spooning a tame catch to mid-off. It paved way for the Babar show, with Haris Sohail giving him good company as the duo strung together a 111-run-stand in just 18.3 overs. Once again, just when it looked like they’d up the ante with their scoring rate, Sohail fell to the only way he could’ve been out to, running himself out in the greed to steal a non-existent single. Babar, scoring at close to a run-a-ball until this point, found another gear to his batting.