Saifullah Sani
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Afridi single-handedly delivers unassailable lead
Pakistan 200 (Afridi 75, Fernando 3-26) beat Sri Lanka 174 (Sangakkara 58, Jayawardene 55, Cheema 5-35)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sharjah's die-hard cricket tragics waited eight years to see their favourite team in one-day action. They went back, sated by five unforgettable vistas of Shahid Afridi's trademark arms-aloft celebration, as he single-handedly nipped Sri Lanka in a dramatic finish. Chasing 201 to level the series, Sri Lanka were on course with Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara dictating terms with half-centuries, reducing the equation to 46 needed off 74 balls. Afridi was, however, reading from a script no one else had access to. He derailed the tail with a mix of legbreaks, googlies and fastish offspinners, as Sri Lanka floundered hopelessly to lose their last seven wickets for just 19 runs.
Full report to follow ...
75 overs Sri Lanka 94 for 3 (Sangakkara 27*, Jayawardene 21*, Cheema 2-33) need 107 runs to beat Pakistan 200 (Afridi 75, Fernando 3-26)
Aizaz Cheema produced an energetic new-ball burst to give Pakistan's spinners an early look at the middle order, but Sri Lanka's two best batsmen knuckled down to keep their side ahead in Sharjah. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene had added 41 runs by the 25-overs mark to revive the chase, but the length of Sri Lanka's tail will require them to continue for as long as possible.
Misbah-ul-Haq gave his fast bowlers an extended run before the four spinners came into the game. Cheema responded well, getting his natural inward curve going at decent pace from wide of the crease. The openers negotiated him in their characteristic styles: Tillakaratne Dilshan tried heaving through the covers on the up, even if cramped for space, while Upul Tharanga opened up the off side and looked to drive away from the body. Umar Gul mixed his stock balls with slow offcutters as Pakistan hunted for wickets, but Misbah was curiously stingy with his slip fielders. Tharanga flashed Cheema past the lone slip in his second over, prompting Misbah to move the fielder wider. The next ball was an action replay except, this time, Younis Khan was in the way.
Pumped with the early wicket, Cheema bustled in with purpose and cranked the pace up. Sangakkara had no answer as a length ball twitched across him from the middle and leg line, but the edge buzzed away between the keeper and slip. Cheema was undeterred, and proceeded to do the job without the help of the catcher. He handed Dilshan a peach that zipped in with the angle, but straightened sharply before swinging away late as the batsman felt for it. Dilshan was stunned, and went on to review the umpire's decision after getting what sounded like a woody edge, but the original call stayed despite the absence of further evidence.
Dinesh Chandimal looked edgy in his brief stay, nicking Gul past a belatedly-positioned second slip, before being hurried into an out-of-control pull that landed safe. Amid the struggle, he produced one languid cover drive that did more damage for Pakistan than the four runs it produced. Shahid Afridi tagged it from cover and put in a slide, but his knee got stuck in the turf, wrenching out a massive divot as he landed in agony. Afridi needed treatment and was helped off the field, but to Pakistan's relief he was back in action soon after. Meanwhile, Chandimal contrived to drag a harmless Mohammad Hafeez delivery spinning down the leg side onto his stumps.
Misbah may have missed another trick by keeping his support spinners - Hafeez and Shoaib Malik - on for longer than required. Jayawardene and Sangakkara played themselves in over the next six overs, but were still troubled when the main spinners came on. Saeed Ajmal started off with a maiden to Sangakkara, before Afridi made him look ordinary in his first over. He beat Sangakkara with a googly, and got him to inside-edge a legbreak past the stumps. Ajmal then slipped a doosra past Jayawardene's outside edge for the umpteenth time in the series, and Afridi dipped a legbreak menacingly close to his off stump. The oohs and aahs from the close-in fielders conveyed just how important the next wicket would be to Pakistan's cause.
50 overs Pakistan 200 (Afridi 75, Fernando 3-26) v Sri Lanka
Pakistan returned to their most successful ODI venue after an eight-year gap, but the circumstances could not have been more different from standard Sharjah fare. The pitch was far removed from the flat tracks that used to be laid out in the day, and Pakistan's top order did not show the composure to handle the lack of pace. Sri Lanka's young spinners found their voice for the first time since Muttiah Muralitharan's retirement, reducing Pakistan to 97 for 6. Shahid Afridi was left to play within himself, a task that he pulled off with aplomb - that's how far events veered from the script. Afridi finished with his customary brutality to give Pakistan's four-man spin attack a chance.
Barring prodigious sideways movement, the Sharjah conditions had little in common with those in Dubai. The strip was sluggish to a fault and Imran Farhat, who had flowed smoothly in the previous game, struggled from the outset. He was early on the drive more than once, before Dilhara Fernando ended his misery. Younis Khan and Mohammad Hafeez stayed watchful on the back foot and set up the illusion of a platform during their 39-run stand, but the situation was about to go pear-shaped.
Hafeez suffered a brain fade in the 16th over, heaving Seekkuge Prasanna to deep square leg. Fernando then struck with the first ball of a spell for the second time. Younis couldn't spot the split-finger slower ball, and was lulled into a soft drive that popped up into the covers. Shoaib Malik could barely put bat on ball on his comeback, allowing Sri Lanka to limit the bowling Powerplay damages to 12 for 2.
Pakistan's middle order was then unable to read the legspinners' variations. Malik's tortured stay ended when he played back to a googly from Jeevan Mendis. Umar Akmal also failed to pick the variation and was trapped on the crease by Mendis' quick-arm wrong 'un. By then, the innings was in freefall, with the eight overs following Younis' dismissal yielding nine runs for four wickets. Misbah-ul-Haq showed the technique and composure required, until his second suicidal run-out in as many games left Afridi shepherding the tail.
Afridi's methods were perfect for the situation, though. He picked the spinners from the hand more often than not, but when he didn't he gave himself enough time to read them off the track. When Sri Lanka landed it in his zone, he pummelled them. Lasith Malinga was crashed through the covers, Mendis was bombarded over long-on, but Afridi became watchful once Misbah exited. Sarfraz Ahmed fell by the wayside, but Saeed Ajmal buckled down admirably.
Afridi's stand with Ajmal featured some feverish calling and smart running in the batting Powerplay. With ten overs to go, Afridi targeted Prasanna and Sri Lanka felt the heat as their fielding fell away alarmingly. Afridi backed away and lashed Prasanna with the spin for a six over extra cover to bring up his first fifty in 16 innings. He then thumped him straight and hacked through the covers for fours, before launching another six down the ground. Sri Lanka were in desperate trouble when Fernando dropped him off the next ball, but Afridi could not extend the carnage. He nicked Thisara Perera behind in the 44th over, setting Pakistan on course for 200, a score that can be defended in these conditions.
Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 4th ODI: Shahid Afridi single-handedly delivers unassailable lead | Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 4th ODI, Sharjah Report | Cricket News | ESPN Cricinfo
Pakistan 200 (Afridi 75, Fernando 3-26) beat Sri Lanka 174 (Sangakkara 58, Jayawardene 55, Cheema 5-35)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sharjah's die-hard cricket tragics waited eight years to see their favourite team in one-day action. They went back, sated by five unforgettable vistas of Shahid Afridi's trademark arms-aloft celebration, as he single-handedly nipped Sri Lanka in a dramatic finish. Chasing 201 to level the series, Sri Lanka were on course with Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara dictating terms with half-centuries, reducing the equation to 46 needed off 74 balls. Afridi was, however, reading from a script no one else had access to. He derailed the tail with a mix of legbreaks, googlies and fastish offspinners, as Sri Lanka floundered hopelessly to lose their last seven wickets for just 19 runs.
Full report to follow ...
75 overs Sri Lanka 94 for 3 (Sangakkara 27*, Jayawardene 21*, Cheema 2-33) need 107 runs to beat Pakistan 200 (Afridi 75, Fernando 3-26)
Aizaz Cheema produced an energetic new-ball burst to give Pakistan's spinners an early look at the middle order, but Sri Lanka's two best batsmen knuckled down to keep their side ahead in Sharjah. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene had added 41 runs by the 25-overs mark to revive the chase, but the length of Sri Lanka's tail will require them to continue for as long as possible.
Misbah-ul-Haq gave his fast bowlers an extended run before the four spinners came into the game. Cheema responded well, getting his natural inward curve going at decent pace from wide of the crease. The openers negotiated him in their characteristic styles: Tillakaratne Dilshan tried heaving through the covers on the up, even if cramped for space, while Upul Tharanga opened up the off side and looked to drive away from the body. Umar Gul mixed his stock balls with slow offcutters as Pakistan hunted for wickets, but Misbah was curiously stingy with his slip fielders. Tharanga flashed Cheema past the lone slip in his second over, prompting Misbah to move the fielder wider. The next ball was an action replay except, this time, Younis Khan was in the way.
Pumped with the early wicket, Cheema bustled in with purpose and cranked the pace up. Sangakkara had no answer as a length ball twitched across him from the middle and leg line, but the edge buzzed away between the keeper and slip. Cheema was undeterred, and proceeded to do the job without the help of the catcher. He handed Dilshan a peach that zipped in with the angle, but straightened sharply before swinging away late as the batsman felt for it. Dilshan was stunned, and went on to review the umpire's decision after getting what sounded like a woody edge, but the original call stayed despite the absence of further evidence.
Dinesh Chandimal looked edgy in his brief stay, nicking Gul past a belatedly-positioned second slip, before being hurried into an out-of-control pull that landed safe. Amid the struggle, he produced one languid cover drive that did more damage for Pakistan than the four runs it produced. Shahid Afridi tagged it from cover and put in a slide, but his knee got stuck in the turf, wrenching out a massive divot as he landed in agony. Afridi needed treatment and was helped off the field, but to Pakistan's relief he was back in action soon after. Meanwhile, Chandimal contrived to drag a harmless Mohammad Hafeez delivery spinning down the leg side onto his stumps.
Misbah may have missed another trick by keeping his support spinners - Hafeez and Shoaib Malik - on for longer than required. Jayawardene and Sangakkara played themselves in over the next six overs, but were still troubled when the main spinners came on. Saeed Ajmal started off with a maiden to Sangakkara, before Afridi made him look ordinary in his first over. He beat Sangakkara with a googly, and got him to inside-edge a legbreak past the stumps. Ajmal then slipped a doosra past Jayawardene's outside edge for the umpteenth time in the series, and Afridi dipped a legbreak menacingly close to his off stump. The oohs and aahs from the close-in fielders conveyed just how important the next wicket would be to Pakistan's cause.
50 overs Pakistan 200 (Afridi 75, Fernando 3-26) v Sri Lanka
Pakistan returned to their most successful ODI venue after an eight-year gap, but the circumstances could not have been more different from standard Sharjah fare. The pitch was far removed from the flat tracks that used to be laid out in the day, and Pakistan's top order did not show the composure to handle the lack of pace. Sri Lanka's young spinners found their voice for the first time since Muttiah Muralitharan's retirement, reducing Pakistan to 97 for 6. Shahid Afridi was left to play within himself, a task that he pulled off with aplomb - that's how far events veered from the script. Afridi finished with his customary brutality to give Pakistan's four-man spin attack a chance.
Barring prodigious sideways movement, the Sharjah conditions had little in common with those in Dubai. The strip was sluggish to a fault and Imran Farhat, who had flowed smoothly in the previous game, struggled from the outset. He was early on the drive more than once, before Dilhara Fernando ended his misery. Younis Khan and Mohammad Hafeez stayed watchful on the back foot and set up the illusion of a platform during their 39-run stand, but the situation was about to go pear-shaped.
Hafeez suffered a brain fade in the 16th over, heaving Seekkuge Prasanna to deep square leg. Fernando then struck with the first ball of a spell for the second time. Younis couldn't spot the split-finger slower ball, and was lulled into a soft drive that popped up into the covers. Shoaib Malik could barely put bat on ball on his comeback, allowing Sri Lanka to limit the bowling Powerplay damages to 12 for 2.
Pakistan's middle order was then unable to read the legspinners' variations. Malik's tortured stay ended when he played back to a googly from Jeevan Mendis. Umar Akmal also failed to pick the variation and was trapped on the crease by Mendis' quick-arm wrong 'un. By then, the innings was in freefall, with the eight overs following Younis' dismissal yielding nine runs for four wickets. Misbah-ul-Haq showed the technique and composure required, until his second suicidal run-out in as many games left Afridi shepherding the tail.
Afridi's methods were perfect for the situation, though. He picked the spinners from the hand more often than not, but when he didn't he gave himself enough time to read them off the track. When Sri Lanka landed it in his zone, he pummelled them. Lasith Malinga was crashed through the covers, Mendis was bombarded over long-on, but Afridi became watchful once Misbah exited. Sarfraz Ahmed fell by the wayside, but Saeed Ajmal buckled down admirably.
Afridi's stand with Ajmal featured some feverish calling and smart running in the batting Powerplay. With ten overs to go, Afridi targeted Prasanna and Sri Lanka felt the heat as their fielding fell away alarmingly. Afridi backed away and lashed Prasanna with the spin for a six over extra cover to bring up his first fifty in 16 innings. He then thumped him straight and hacked through the covers for fours, before launching another six down the ground. Sri Lanka were in desperate trouble when Fernando dropped him off the next ball, but Afridi could not extend the carnage. He nicked Thisara Perera behind in the 44th over, setting Pakistan on course for 200, a score that can be defended in these conditions.
Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 4th ODI: Shahid Afridi single-handedly delivers unassailable lead | Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 4th ODI, Sharjah Report | Cricket News | ESPN Cricinfo
