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COLOMBO: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi grabbed 4-34 as Pakistan recorded a nervy 11-run win over co-host and favorite Sri Lanka in the World Cup on Saturday.
Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan scored successive World Cup half centuries in a challenging Pakistan total of 277-7 in the Group A match.
Sri Lanka made a late charge with Chamara Silva’s 57 and Nuwan Kulasekara’s 24 off 14 balls but ended up with 266-9.
With Sri Lanka needing 100 off the last 10 overs, Pakistan became sloppy in the field and dropped at least three clear catches. However, Afridi’s men held their nerves when it counted to leave a packed 35,000 home crowd disappointed at R. Premadasa Stadium.
Afridi spoiled Sri Lanka’s hopes of a maiden World Cup victory against Pakistan by taking the key wickets of captain Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews.
Afridi also reached the milestone of taking 300 wickets in one-day internationals.
Pakistan defeated Kenya by 205 runs in the first match with Afridi recording Pakistan’s best ever World Cup figures of 5-16.
Dilshan (41) and Upul Tharanga (33) had provided Sri Lanka with an ideal start of 76 off 86 balls before the co-host slipped to 96-4.
Afridi broke the dangerous opening stand by taking a low catch from Tharanga at extra cover and then clean bowled Dilshan before Samaraweera (1) was brilliantly stumped by Kamran Akmal.
In between Afridi’s strikes, paceman Shoaib Akhtar (2-42) knocked back Mahela Jayawardene’s middle stump off a delivery which swung back sharply into Sri Lankan vice-captain, who managed only two runs.
The required run rate continued to climb and captain Sangakkara tried to accelerate the scoring by calling on the batting powerplay after 33 overs.
Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal missed a leg-side stumping of Sangakkara on 33 and in the next over Abdur Rehman somehow floored Silva’s mistimed pull shot after it flew skywards.
Silva finally departed in the 47th over when Kamran Akmal made no mistake off a wide Rehman delivery. Kulasekara was out in the last over when Sri Lanka needed 18 off Umar Gul’s over.
Earlier, Misbah and Khan vindicated Afridi’s decision to bat first with contrasting half centuries.
Misbah overcame strain in his right hamstring to remain unbeaten on 83 off 91 deliveries with six fours while Khan scored a solid 72 off 76 balls.
Sri Lanka hit back briefly in the batting powerplay as top offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan conceded just five runs in two overs that allowed Pakistan to score just 36 runs in five overs.
Pakistan built its total around Khan and Misbah’s workmanlike 108-run fourth wicket stand off 123 balls. Both experienced batsmen frequently found the gaps and rotated the strike with singles and twos.
Pakistan – which has not lost in six previous World Cup matches against Sri Lanka – also got off to solid start before Kamran Akmal (39) and Mohammad Hafeez (32) both threw away their wickets just when they looked threatening.
Hafeez, who hit four boundaries and also a clean six over midwicket off Kulasekara, fell to a bizarre run out in a mix-up with Akmal.
Hafeez drove the ball to short fine leg but left the crease briefly when captain Sangakkara’s throw went wide at the non-striker end. Rangana Herath backed up well at mid on as both batsmen were left stranded at striker’s end.
Akmal also looked set for a big knock before he needlessly came out of the crease when leftarm Herath switched ends and Sangakkara completed an easy stumping.
Misbah and Khan then dug in and watchfully played out Muralitharan’s overs without much problems and frustrated Sri Lanka before Herath induced a top edge off Khan’s mistimed sweep shot in the 41st over.
Misbah struggled to play big shots in the batting power play due to cramp, helping Sri Lanka to restrict a 1992 world champion which looked well-placed to reach 300 at one stage.
World record holder Muralitharan took his World Cup tally to 56 – second behind Australian Glenn McGrath’s 71 – when Umar Akmal (10) holed out at deep midwicket.
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