Pakistan Delight Against Sri Lanka

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011,February,26-2011:Pakistan rock at the end of match after winning 11 runs agaisnt Sri Lanka.Pakistan notched up a close victory over Sri Lanka in their second ICC Cricket World Cup encounter in Colombo on Saturday.
Skipper Afridi snapped up four wickets, picking his 300th ODI wicket in the process, as Sri Lanka crumbled in the face of a stiff target. Shoaib Akhtar was lethal as well, getting the crucial wicket of Mahela Jaywardene with a reverse-swinging peach.
Chamara Silva (57) and skipper Kumar Sangakkara (49) were the only batsmen who offered some resistance for Sri Lanka in an otherwise weak reply.
Pakistan’s batting revolved around Misbah (83 not out off 81 balls) and Younus (72 off 76 balls), who put on 108 in about 20 overs to lend stability to the innings.
Rangana Herath claimed two wickets while Muttiah Muralitharan bowled a miserly spell of one for 34 in 10 overs, but Sri Lanka failed to effect breakthroughs as Pakistan cruised to a competitive total.
Batting first after winning the toss Pakistan were off to a solid start racing to 65 in 10 overs after losing Ahmed Shehzad (13) early on.
Mohammed Hafeez and Kamran Akmal added 48 in 7.2 overs but a bizarre run-out ended Hafeez’s innings prematurely at 32.
Kamran (39) could not put the mix-up behind him and threw away his wicket by charging down the pitch to spinner Herath only to be stumped by Kumara Sangakkara.
Younus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq kept the score board ticking by rotating the strike and took Pakistan past 150 after 29 overs.
Younus reached his second successive half-century of the tournament off 56 balls and Misbah followed suit a few overs later – with the Test captain’s half-century coming off 65 balls with just a solitary boundary.
The third-wicket stand accumulated 100 at a healthy rate, but Herath broke the partnership eight runs later by having Younus caught at short fine-leg.
Having reached 224 for four in 43 overs, Pakistan opted for the batting powerplay but Muralitharan gave only two in his final two overs and sent back Umar Akmal for 10.
In all Pakistan managed only 36 in the final powerplay and lost captain Shahid Afridi for 12-ball 16 in the penultimate over of the innings.
Abdul Razak was holed out to the last ball of the innings but had added 10 with Misbah who was unbeaten on 83.

source:espnstar.com

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