Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in the fourth ODI after an epic collapse, as Pakistan lost 7 wickets for 13 runs chasing. At one state, Pakistan were 166/3 in the 37th over. Perera picked up a hat-trick and a run-out in the 41st over.

Teams:

Sri Lanka
WU Tharanga, TM Dilshan, KC Sangakkara, LD Chandimal, DPMD Jayawardene, NLTC Perera, AD Mathews, HDRL Thirimanne, KMDN Kulasekara, SL Malinga, S Weerakoon

Pakistan
Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir


Sri Lanka innings

Sri Lanka won the toss and predictably decided to bat first on a pitch expected to offer little assistance to the bowlers.

Pakistan started brightly, with Sohail Tanvir beginning with a maiden and Younis Khan snaffling a loose drive by Tharanga off Gul for just 4.

Sangakkara came in at number three, and struggled with his partner Dilshan to score quickly in the powerplay overs as the Pakistani opening bowlers dominated. He rode his luck too, with a close LBW being given not out to a Sohail Tanvir slower ball and also would have been run out had an Umar Akmal hit the stumps. That was the first of many missed chances in the field for Pakistan, as they failed to capitalise on a number of run out opportunities.

Mishbah has been attacked for his predictability in his bowling choices during the powerplay overs and decided to mix things up today, with veteran Younis Khan being asked to roll his arm over for a couple of overs. He was able to induce a chance against Sangakkara, but overall was fairly innocuous. He hasn't been the answer to Pakistan's batting line up, and certainly won't offer any assistance in the bowling department. Pakistan already have Hafeez as a top-order batsman who is relying on his bowling to retain his place in the side and certainly don't need another given the recent ODI batting woes.

Sangakkara and Dilshan struggled along, until Mohammad Hafeez, who had yet another impressive day with the ball, (10 overs, 2/37) trapped the Dilshan lbw in the first ball of his spell in the 16th over. The pressure applied by the bowlers had told as he tried to manipulate the ball through the employment of the sweep, leaving Sri Lanka 64/2 off 16 overs.

Youngster Dinesh Chandimal, who has had a quiet series by his standards, showed flashes the talent he possesses before he he was bowled for 18 by Hafeez as he looked to make room to cut. 90/3 after 25 overs.

Captain Jayawardene came out to bat with Sangakkara and the two looked to return some impetus to the innings as they have done so many times over the years.

Hafeez and Afridi bowled well in the middle overs and esured the experienced pair were unable to break free, and Afridi was able to carve out an easy chance for Gul in the 31st over, but Gul dropped a dolly at long on to give Sangakkara a life. That drop acted as a catalyst for the Sri Lankan batsman to increase the run rate. Gul was greeted with a lofted six by the same batsman to whom he has provided a reprieve and the boundries contrinued to flow until Sohail Tanvir yorked Jayawardene for 40(50) in the 43rd over. Sangakkara followed in the next over and wasn't able to complete a century as he was brilliantly caught in the deep by Azhar Ali off Saeed Ajmal for 97 off 130 balls, leaving Sri Lanka 204/5.

Mathews survived another run out opportunity, and big-hitter Perera was out to a hoik off Ajmal for just 8. Sri Lanka subequenlty lost two wickets in the remaining overs as Thirimanne (13) was run out by Shahid Afridi, a Pakistani fielder who finally managed to hit the stumps, and Kulasekara (3). Sri Lanka posted a par score, with the help of some shoddy Pakistani fielding, to 243/8.

Fall of wickets

1-9 Tharanga, 2.2 overs
2-64 Dilshan, 16.1 overs
3-90 Chandimal, 25.3 overs
4-200 Jayawardene, 43.4 overs
5-204 Sangakkara, 44.2 overs
6-214 Perera, 46.1 overs
7-237 Thirimanne, 48.3 overs
8-243 Kulasekara, 49.5 overs


Pakistan Innings

The Pakistani openers strode out hoping to put together a better partnership than the previous matches, but those hopes were quickly dashed when Hafeez was somewhat predictably out for a duck, caught hooking Malinga. Short delivers either side of the wicket are usually his forte, and the method of his dismissal provides an indicator of just how his form is. He now has consecutive ducks ODIs to go with three in his last four T20 innings, leaving him with five dots in his last six limited overs innings and many question marks over his batting position.

The pattern of the opening powerplay overs was similar to the Sri Lankan innings, with the batsmen making slow progress after the loss of an early wicket. Sri Lanka had managed just 35 runs for the loss of one wicket in their opening 10 overs, and Pakistani yielded just 29.

Asad Shafiq came out at number 3 and batted well for his 25 (34), which included a lofted boundary off Mathews and was lbw to Weerakoon, Pakistan 2/53.

This left Misbah and Azhar Ali to rebuild the innings, as the two batsmen more accustomed to building Test partnerships as they accumulated 113 runs off the next 24 overs. Misbah was dismissed for 57(77), after Kulasekara took a sharp catch at mid-off.

Kulasekara then picked up Umer Akmal was first to go out for a duck, tentatively driving after Sri Lanka had targeted him with the short ball.

Misbah's dismissal precipitated a monumental Pakistani collapse, as Perera picked up four wickets in the 41st over, including a hat-trick and a run-out. Younis Khan (1) was out caught behind trying to run the ball down to third man one, Afridi was next and hit his first delivery stright to cover and Sarfraz edged to slip. Sohail Tanvir was run out off the last ball of the over by hat trick hero Perera.

Umar Gul was next to go, first ball to Matthews.

This left cramping Azhar Ali and Ajmal to try an fashion an unlikely victory after Pakistan lost 7 wickets for 13 runs

Six ducks in the Pakistani innings after the bowlers has restricted Sri Lanka to a sub-250 score. This and most of the ODI matches in the last few years have raised plenty of question marks over the brittle Pakistani batting line-up. Will anyone find the answer?

Fall of wickets
1-0 Mohammad Hafeez 0.5 overs
2-53 Asad Shafiq, 13.4 overs
3-166 Misbah-ul-Haq, 37.3 overs
4-169 Umar Akmal, 38.4 overs
5-176 Younis Khan, 40.2 overs)
6-176 Shahid Afridi, 40.3 overs
7-176 Sarfraz Ahmed, 40.4 overs
8-176 Sohail Tanvir, 40.6 overs
9-179 Umar Gul, 41.2 overs
10-199 Ajmal, 45 overs