SL V Pak, 2nd ODI, Review: Series all square after Dilshan ton

[SOSami]

Result: Sri Lanka won by 76 runs

Teams:

Sri Lanka
M Dilshan, WU Tharanga, KC Sangakkara†, LD Chandimal, DPMD Jayawardene*, HDRL Thirimanne, AD Mathews, NLTC Perera, HMRKB Herath, KMDN Kulasekara, SL Malinga

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

Sri Lanka innings

Just one change for Pakistan from the first ODI, as paceman Mohammad Sami suffered an injury to his thumb, presenting youngster Rahat Ali with an opportunity to impress on a Pallakele track that has flattened out since the last game. Sri Lanka changed only their batting order, with Jayawardene dropping down.

The shuffle proved fruitful for Sri Lanka, who set the tone early in the innings. Both Dilshan and Tharanga, who was playing in his favoured opening position, cashed in from the off as they collected boundaries off Gul and Tanvir in the powerplay overs. Tanvir gained his revenge, as he had Tharanga caught behind for 18.

Sangakkara strode out to the middle and glanced his second delivery for four off Tanvir. Pakistan had a mediocre day in the field, as they missed two run-out chances, the easier being a throw by Umar Akmal to the wrong end after a good bit of fielding initially. Dilshan continued to score freely, and picked up boundaries all around the wicket. The bowling powerplay was taken by in the 15th over, with Misbah opting to utilise spinners Ajmal and Hafeez. The decision initially paid off, as the all-rounder, who often has lefties shaking in their spikes had Sangakkara caught and bowled for 18, leaving Sri Lanka 84/2 off 16 overs.

Promising youngster Dinesh Chandimal joined Dilshan, and as the two put on 70 runs in 15 overs.
Chandimal's attacking instincts got him in trouble against the spinners a couple of times, but a fired -up Afridi, who was more than willing to give Captain and team-mates an earful for their lacklustre fielding effort, trapped him LBW to leave Sri Lanka 154/3. Chandimal scored 32 and more than ably supported his more aggressive partner, who brought up his half-century off 60 balls.

Mahela Jayawardene and Dilshan then joined forces to provide the acceleration at the perfect time, with Jayawrdene using his trademark reverse-sweeps and touch play to drive the innings with 53 off just 45 balls and was the last wicket to fall, as Perera played a blistering cameo of 24 off 14, including two fours and two sixes.

None of the Pakistani bowlers had a vintage day, with Hafeez (1/30 off 8 overs) and Ajmal (1/49 off 10 overs) being the pick on a flat wicket offering little assistance. A greater concern will be the poor team fielding effort, and yet another drop by Sarfraz Ahmed behind the stumps.

However, it was ultimately an in-form Dilshan however who provided the backbone to the innings, as he ended not-out on 119, with Sri Lanka posting a significant 280, requiring Pakistan to achieve the highest score in a chase against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

Fall of wickets

1-37 Tharanga, 7.1 ov,
2-84 Sangakkara, 16.1 ov
3-154 Chandimal, 30.6 ov
4-240 Jayawardene, 45.4 ov


Pakistan innings

The Pakistan innings began quietly, as Hafeez and Azhar aimed to settle - the first two overs didn't yield a run, but more importantly no wickets were lost. The decision to select Azhar Ali, a stodgy test batsman, has yielded much criticism, further exacerbated by his failure in the first ODI. However, he came alive in the third over, replicating his Test form. Shades of The Oval test during the tour of England as he hit out in a bid to complete his century in 2011, he scored the majority of his runs in boundaries, including a consecutive boundaries off Kulasekara.

He lost his opening partner Hafeez for 14 to a leading edge as Perera completed a brilliant caught and bowled, diving full length, leaving Pakistan 48/1 off 10 overs. The much-maligned Younis Khan joined Azhar Ali and the two have shared some big partnerships in Test matches, but Khan failed to make his mark as he was out for just four, including -a reprieve from keeper Sangakkara. His place in the side is now surely as precarious as it has ever been.

Captain Misbah-ul-Haq came out, to try and drive the middle overs, but after a bright start slowed and was out lbw that man Perera, who hadn't taken a backward step since his batting cameo. Perera had bagged his third wicket, leaving Pakistan 127/3.

More importantly, the experienced duo Misbah and Younis had added just 31 runs from 48 balls and had lost their wickets after consuming delivers to settle down.

It was yet again left to Umar Akmal to carry the pressure of bringing the run rate down, but lasted just 11 deliveries as he was on the receiving end of a shocker from the umpire Reiffel, who has had a forgettable series to date, leaving Pakistan 139/4 as Sangakkara took the catch off Perera. Shahid Afridi walked to the crease with the required rate pushing above 9. The batting powerplay was taken at the mandatory stage, and Pakistan needed some big overs if they were to get back in the game.

Azhar began to show some more aggressive intent, moving to 96 with a sublime push through the covers. To everyone's disappointment though, he was bowled next ball by Kulasekara, the bowler breaking the leg stump with a perfect yorker. Afridi knew what he needed to do, but failed due to a magnificent diving catch from Sangakarra. With over 100 needed from the last 12 overs, it was all but over for the visitors.

Sohail Tanvir holed out to deep square leg, handing Perera his fifth wicket, and he soon made it six when Gul was dismissed LBW. 6-44 in 10 overs was a fantastic effort by Perera, and the Pakistani batsmen had no answer to his incisive spell. Malinga removed Ajmal, before Kulasekara ended Sarfraz Ahmed's useful resistance, to hand Sri Lanka a 76 run victory.

Fall of wickets

1-48 (Mohammad Hafeez, 10.1 ov)
2-78 (Younis Khan, 16.5 ov)
3-127 (Misbah-ul-Haq, 29.1 ov)
4-139 (Umar Akmal, 33.2 ov)
5-157 (Azhar Ali, 36.3 ov)
6-165 (Shahid Afridi, 37.4 ov)
7-170 (Sohail Tanvir, 40.1 ov)
8-197 (Umar Gul, 44.4 ov)
9-204 (Saeed Ajmal, 45.6 ov)
10-204 (Sarfraz Ahmed, 46.21 ov)


Summary

So Sri Lanka hit back with a thoroughly professional performance to square the series. Dilshan set things up with a magnificent unbeaten ton, well supported by Chandimal and Jayawardene, before Perera pushed the score beyond Pakistan's reach. It was a familiar story for Pakistan's run chase, a solid start but the middle order simply weren't able to push on once the required rate increased, and wickets were lost at regular intervals.

Azhar Ali deserves tremendous praise for a fantastic innings. He proved his critics wrong, playing some exquisite shots and was unfortunate to miss out on a deserved century. Younis Khan once again failed, and after Azhar's performance, the management need to consider replacing YK with Asad Shafiq for the next game. Both Azhar and Shafiq are talented youngsters, and they are capable of taking over from the senior players, as Azhar Ali proved today. Pakistan will also need to think about the balance of the team, and whether or not they need an extra batsman. At the moment, they don't look comfortable chasing anything above 250.

A special mention for Thisara Perera, who took 6 wickets in his 10 overs, after a useful 14 ball cameo at the end of the Sri Lankan innings. The two teams now move on to Colombo for the final 3 games, with the series is finely poised at one apiece.

[Shayan]

Well done Sri Lanka, lots to think about for Pakistan. Is it about time for YK?

[wazzy]

No plan on how to chase down the high target. We did not target any bowlers - how did we let Hareth bowl 10 overs for 37? No intent from Hafeez and Younis when batting - they looked so flat. Sarfarz looks out of his depth at the international level (though I don't want Kamran Akmal either).

We are definitely a batsman short. Who should come in and how should sit out the next game? Younis out and one of the bowlers out, Asad Shafiq and Imran Frahat in(?).

[Asif321]

jaan le lo hamari

[AZulfi]

You simply can't go into a match with 5 batsmen - one of them horribly out of touch (Younis) - so effectively 4 batsmen plus one hit or miss bowling all-rounder (Afridi)

Besides one or two batsmen are bound to get a rough decision in every game like Umar Akmal got one today

[Runner Up]

Sri Lanka won because of extraordinary fielding and good batting. UAkmal's decision turned the match in their favour also.

[chui_kadoo]

SL destroy Pakistan.

Pak simply cannot chase 250+ under lights. My prediction of 3-2 to SL is still on. All depends on the toss. If SL win the toss and score 250+ 99% of the time they will win.
Need to play an extra batsmen next game

[PB]

1.Azhar Ali
2.Imran Farhat
3.Mohammad Hafeez
4.Umar Akmal
5.Misbah Ul Haq
6.Asad Shafiq
7.Sarfraz Ahmed (wk)
8.Shahid Afridi
9.Mohammad Sami
10.Umar Gul
11.Saeed Ajmal

[talha3]

At the end of the day, the bowlers let us down. Captaincy also wasn't great.

The chase was started well but there's a reason why 240+ has never been chased against SL in SL. How was this lineup (without Jamshed, with YK and with Afridi at 6) going to chase down something which has never been chased before?

[speed]

1)azhar
2)farhat
3)asad
4)u akmal
5)misbah
6)afridi
7)hafeez
8)sarfraz
9)gul
10)ajmal
11)sami

However this should be the odi team

1)jamshed
2)a shazad
3)azhar ali
4)u akmal
5)misbah/malik
6)hafeez
7)k akmal
8afridi
9)ajmal
10)sami
11) gul

[AZulfi]

Ideally need

6 solid batsmen

+

1 good all-rounder (like Imran, Razzaq) Afridi is simply not dependable with the bat. He can give you a quick 20-30 runs every now and then but he is not someone who can win you games from a position of 150/5 chasing 250+

+

wicket-keeper batsman (Sarfraz is no Moin)

+

2 good fast bowlers

+

1 good spinner


We are definitely lacking in the batting department

[insaaniyat]

Originally Posted by PB 1.Azhar Ali 2.Imran Farhat 3.Mohammad Hafeez 4.Umar Akmal 5.Misbah Ul Haq 6.Asad Shafiq 7.Sarfraz Ahmed (wk) 8.Shahid Afridi 9.Mohammad Sami 10.Umar Gul 11.Saeed Ajmal

We need to remove the cancer out first. Here on the board everyone wants to live with cancer. Sad. Team is good. But not performing because of only one player. The sooner he is removed the better for pakistan cricket.

[PB]

Originally Posted by insaaniyat We need to remove the cancer out first. Here on the board everyone wants to live with cancer. Sad. Team is good. But not performing because of only one player. The sooner he is removed the better for pakistan cricket.

Thats the best 11, I can think of from the current 15...

Otherwise, I'd bring in Jamshed inplace of Farhat...And Azam in place of Afridi, and have Malik and Shafiq battle it out for the 6th spot.

[PakHammer]

Hopefully Sami will be brought back in the team. Also need more batsmen needed in the team, so I would bring in Assad in for Sohail Tanvir.

And believe or not, Farhat instead of Younus.

[KingKhanWC]

It was a great batting track, Dilshan, Jaya and Lanka batted really well. It wasn't easy for the bowlers, the pitch neutralising their seam, swing and spin skills.

Pak batting was always going to struggle but credit today goes to Lanka who batted, bowled and fielded superbly.

The better team won today.

[ads101]

Well done sri lanka, beat us in all departments.

Impressed with Azhar, though this pitch did seem more suited for his type of player. Stylish test batsmen could perform on this pitch, picking the gaps in the field with the fast outfield. Take nothing away from him though. He's just secured his place in the side.

We don't need 6 bowlers 5 are fine. Ajmal, Hafeez, Afridi are all consistent. What's the point of including another fast bowler who only bowls 4 overs or so, and/or eats into our spinner's quota. Makes no sense. Afridi is not a no.6.

This would be my team for the next match.

1. Hafeez
2. Azhar
3. umar akmal
4. Asad
5. Misbah
6. Younis Khan
7. Sarfaz
8. Afridi
9. Gul
10. Sami
11. Ajmal

[waqar_ahmad]

I hope everyone here realizes, how ordinary Gul and tanvir are, specially tanvir, when the pitch isn't helping them.

Sami was the only bowler who was relying on swing instead of seam. He pretty much took the pitch out of the equation. He should be brought back.

And we need to find a fast bowler to replace either Gul or Tanvir. They will be spanked on unfriendly pitches, by better batsmen. Gul should be bowled after 20 overs, with the older ball. Sami, with anothre new ball bowler is what we need.

And we should have had Hammad in the squad. He should have played in place of a tanvir. Sarfraz, Gul, Ajmal, Rahat and Tanvir, is a really long tail. And no, Sarfraz and tanvir are not reliable batsmen, so yes, they are tailenders.

[Shayan]

Afridi and Ajmal have been magnificent for us in the bowling department, but are they upsetting the balance of the team? We are being forced into either playing just 2 fast bowlers, OR too few batsmen, because those 2 are guaranteed starters.

[AZulfi]

Originally Posted by ads101 Well done sri lanka, beat us in all departments. Impressed with Azhar, though this pitch did seem more suited for his type of player. Stylish test batsmen could perform on this pitch, picking the gaps in the field with the fast outfield. Take nothing away from him though. He's just secured his place in the side. We don't need 6 bowlers 5 are fine. Ajmal, Hafeez, Afridi are all consistent. What's the point of including another fast bowler who only bowls 4 overs or so, and/or eats into our spinner's quota. Makes no sense. Afridi is not a no.6. This would be my team for the next match. 1. Hafeez 2. Azhar 3. umar akmal 4. Asad 5. Misbah 6. Younis Khan 7. Sarfaz 8. Afridi 9. Gul 10. Sami 11. Ajmal

No Younis please. His time (ODIs) is up. He has been woefully out of touch for sometime now.

Ideally Asad, Ahmed Shehzad and Hammad should all have been selected in the ODI squad

Mohammad Hafeez*
Nasir Jamshed (or Ahmed Shehzad)
Azhar Ali/ Asad Shafiq
Umar Akmal
Ahmed Shehzad/ Hammad Azam
Misbah (c)
Shahid Afridi*
Sarfraz/ Adnan (wk)
Two from Mohammad Sami/Umar Gul/ Sohail Tanvir*
Ajmal*


Bowlers*

[SOSami]

Misbah and Younis should not be occupying adjacent batting spots. They have cost Pakistan multiple times with their complete lack of urgency in key or basic understanding of tackling the middle overs of an ODI innings.

Enough is enough. Umar Akmal needs to at the very least break those two oldies up. Or even better, Fawad, Asad, Malik, Hammad all are better options than YK and even Misbah.

Afridi at 6 is silly too.

[spaceshot]

Originally Posted by talha3 At the end of the day, the bowlers let us down.

Saw the score @ 126-2
Basically pk had to get 154 with 8 wickets in hand.

Poor show.

[batfirst]

Younis and Gul should be kicked out of team! Younis should be replaced by Asad Shafiq or Fawad Alam. Gul should be replaced by Cheema!

[ads101]

Originally Posted by AZulfi No Younis please. His time (ODIs) is up. He has been woefully out of touch for sometime now. Ideally Asad, Ahmed Shehzad and Hammad should all have been selected in the ODI squad Mohammad Hafeez* Nasir Jamshed (or Ahmed Shehzad) Azhar Ali/ Asad Shafiq Umar Akmal Ahmed Shehzad/ Hammad Azam Misbah (c) Shahid Afridi* Sarfraz/ Adnan (wk) Two from Mohammad Sami/Umar Gul/ Sohail Tanvir* Ajmal* Bowlers*

Not my ideal team, but that's all we have. The only other batsman in the squad is farhat.

I'd have included jamshed but he's not available.

[MR__KHAN__JI]

1) Rahat should not have been selected. Needed a batsman.

2) Misbah was caught by a stunner

3) Akmal was NOT OUT

4) Younis khan needs to quit.





If anyone blames more than this, they are overreacting.

[talha3]

Originally Posted by spaceshot Saw the score @ 126-2 Basically pk had to get 154 with 8 wickets in hand. Poor show.

154 with 8 wickets in hand at over 7rpo under lights.

Not easy.

[speed]

Originally Posted by MR__KHAN__JI 1) Rahat should not have been selected. Needed a batsman. 2) Misbah was caught by a stunner 3) Akmal was NOT OUT 4) Younis khan needs to quit. If anyone blames more than this, they are overreacting.

hafeez needs to move down the order

[Bilal7]

Originally Posted by MR__KHAN__JI 1) Rahat should not have been selected. Needed a batsman. 2) Misbah was caught by a stunner 3) Akmal was NOT OUT 4) Younis khan needs to quit. If anyone blames more than this, they are overreacting.

Nicely summed up.
Also:

- Azhar lost his way towards the end.
- Hafeez was ordinary.
- Fielding was bad.

[MR__KHAN__JI]

Originally Posted by speed hafeez needs to move down the order

He did well in the last game.

as ads101 showed - we are being a touch harsh on him in ODIs

He has done alright.

(Not in T20s or Tests)

[spaceshot]

Misbah CAUGHT ?

People blindly quoting as well

[MR__KHAN__JI]

Originally Posted by Bilal7 Nicely summed up. Also: - Azhar lost his way towards the end. - Hafeez was ordinary. - Fielding was bad.

5) Fielding was bad....

I dont blame Azhar or Hafeez.

[MR__KHAN__JI]

Originally Posted by spaceshot Misbah CAUGHT ? People blindly quoting as well

lol - was that not true?

Subtract it from my list then...

[SOSami]

Originally Posted by MR__KHAN__JI lol - was that not true? Subtract it from my list then...

Don't you read our match report Khan Ji ?!!

I'm outraged!

[farazaidi]

Need to get Asad inplace of Rahat

Hafeez and YK need to kick on, and better umpires please

[Markhor]

Sri Lanka outplayed us so credit to them as they batted really well. Dilshan with a cracking hundred. You can't really back Pakistan to chase 280 under lights. Chasing is becoming a big problem now. We are at least one batsman short.

[Looney]

I slept late because of something last night but woke up 3 hours later for the match missing only 1 hour of it . I saw Rahat Ali bowling and out of curiosity , I checked on Cricinfo who they had dropped . Mohammad Sami was not there !

Asad Shafiq is not there either who is tailor made for ODIs . Rahat Ali was picked and I am glad he was , another trundler exposed . Unfortunately , PCB is so incompetent that they need to try these trundlers at international level .

Check their speeds and bowling ability at domestic FFS . How much does a speed gun cost ?


At the end of the day , who came to Pakistan 's rescue ? Azhar Ali ! Because of the way they bat and their temperament , you will need guys like Azhar and Asad to play for you . Umar Akmal may score a flashy 50 here and there but it will NOT be enough .

Afridi is flashier and scores quicker but there is a reason why Miandad , Inzi and Anwar are hailed as the finest !

[MR__KHAN__JI]

Originally Posted by SOSami Don't you read our match report Khan Ji ?!! I'm outraged!

Havent had a chance!

Now read... and I have slapped myself on the wrist.

[Bilal7]

Originally Posted by MR__KHAN__JI Havent had a chance! Now read... and I have slapped myself on the wrist.

Misbah was caught by a stunner.

The stunner was a delivery not a fielding effort.

[MR__KHAN__JI]

Originally Posted by Bilal7 Misbah was caught by a stunner. The stunner was a delivery not a fielding effort.

aaah... its all making sense now....

In that case i'll keep it in my list...

[JibranAnsari]

too many anchors in the team.. I wish we get back nasir jamshed next series. Hafeez needs to move to number 7 and kick out yk

[JibranAnsari]

Azhar was sitting nicely on 53 on 51 then he was 82 on 104 , he lost his momentum knowing that the players batting with him were not the best of the ODI strike rotators and then akmal got a no brainer.

[LegCutter]

Originally Posted by JibranAnsari Azhar was sitting nicely on 53 on 51 then he was 82 on 104 , he lost his momentum knowing that the players batting with him were not the best of the ODI strike rotators and then akmal got a no brainer.

Akmal looked terribly out of touch anyway and that was a nothing shot. He never looked like he would be staying at the crease for too long

[spaceshot]

Originally Posted by Bilal7 Misbah was caught by a stunner. The stunner was a delivery not a fielding effort.

Only a person challenged in english dept will try to rectify that with such a lame attempt.


@ khan ji
Kin chakkaro mein padh rahe ho bina baat ke..?

[Nav_Sidd]

Was there any reason behind Sami being dropped??
And why cant they play azhar and asad for a change ... no offence to yunus but if all the other seniors can sit out due to poor form then why cant he??

The game however was lost when Pak fielding 'allowed' Sri to make a 250+ score, with our batting and the chasing conditions in Sri it is close to an impossible task

[FusedBulb]

I don't think there is much to worry about. The total ODI worth of our batting line is about 220/230 runs on average.
280 target was hardly realistic even for the most optimistic ones.

[Sherlock]

Awful team to watch when we chase, and that's more often than not. Some idiotic players in this team including the VC and our self-proclaimed best batsmen.

[MR__KHAN__JI]

Originally Posted by spaceshot Only a person challenged in english dept will try to rectify that with such a lame attempt. @ khan ji Kin chakkaro mein padh rahe ho bina baat ke..?

Ho jata hai... Bhai

[pakistani pride]

Poor team selection...
How can you play just 5 batsmen !

When the scores passes 240 you we will not be able to chase.
MYK please please leave the team.
They should drop MYK, let azhar play at 3 and hafeez down order.
We need 2 fressh young openers...

[zains_rulez]

Replace Asad Shafiq with younis khan , thats it

[TaZ]

Imran farhat shouldn't be anywhere near the team !!!

[LastLaugh_PK]

In the next match play Asad in place of YK and add Hammad to the lower order. Drop Rahat and bring Sami, and play Azam in place of Tanvir. We don't need so many bowlers.

[Sherlock]

Hafeez is not an opener, and soon we see that the better.

Drop YK and promote Umar Akmal, that should appease his fans.

Unfortunately it may be time to bring the other Akmal brother back....again.

Don't open the bowling with Gul, because ever since his taken that task he's been poor, very poor.

Hammad should be in the team yet he isn't. Despite what some think, he's a better batsmen than many choices we have in the middle order.

[Shayan]

Originally Posted by LastLaugh_PK In the next match play Asad in place of YK and add Hammad to the lower order. Drop Rahat and bring Sami, and play Azam in place of Tanvir. We don't need so many bowlers.

Hammad is not in the squad.

[Zu456]

azhar
hafeez
asad
u.akmal
misbah
safraz
afridi
hammad
gul
sami
ajmal

i think this team offers better balance. tanvir i feel will be punished against better bowlers and on unfriendlier pitches. plus surely wahab riaz is on par with him batting wise and id say a better bwoling prospect.

hammad has looked okay on the few chances hes been given. people say he needs too improve but thats only going to happen if hes given playing time!!

younis is past it as much i love him as a player. asad i feel has played well. you cant drop azhar after that performance. give hima run as opener if he fails (iA he wont ) he should be replaaced by either jamshed/shezaad.

[Zu456]

Originally Posted by zains_rulez Replace Asad Shafiq with younis khan , thats it

erm kya?

[Square Drive]

No batsman really stood up besides Azhar. YK shows more and more why he should be axed. Misbah was going along well, but couldn't carry on. Something came in Paul Reffeil's eye when he gave Umar out.

But all in all well played Lanka.

[farazaidi]

Originally Posted by LastLaugh_PK In the next match play Asad in place of YK and add Hammad to the lower order. Drop Rahat and bring Sami, and play Azam in place of Tanvir. We don't need so many bowlers.

Hammad is not in the squad but I like the way you're thinking !

Ideally, I'd have

Hafeez (dont want to give him more chances but he is not going anywhere for now)
Azhar
Umar
Asad
Misbah
Hammad
Sarfraz
Afridi

[MenInG]

Originally Posted by FusedBulb I don't think there is much to worry about. The total ODI worth of our batting line is about 220/230 runs on average. 280 target was hardly realistic even for the most optimistic ones.

Agreed - we really need to work on the fielding as well as the bowling

Sami's return is eagerly awaited

[JibranAnsari]

Originally Posted by LegCutter Akmal looked terribly out of touch anyway and that was a nothing shot. He never looked like he would be staying at the crease for too long

He could have stayed , in the last match against lanka he was 3 of 10 and ended up scoring 36 of 48. Even azhar found it hard to score against hearath.

[JibranAnsari]

how old is btw? He fields like a 45 years old.

[Sherlock]

To say our batting isn't anything to worry about is highly optimistic.

[spaceshot]

^ Ignorant is the word dude.

[786warrior]

We have only one tactic - restrict opposition to <150, then make hard work of chasing that down and pat ourselves on the back with dreams of WC glory

Reality, tanvir is doing a fine impression of yo yo and razzaq in the field - fortunately going through a relatively purple patch with his bowling but that is showing signs of waning

Gul needs a good battering in his first over or two and then he's mentally shot to make a come back

Batting - see Pak line up under the word Cowardice in the dictionary - why bust a gut chasing down 280 or trying to make a fist of it - relax boys and have a Pepsi

[Sherlock]

You could see the agitation on Misbah's face when SL were getting the 280, he knew it would be too much for a poor chasing side.

[786warrior]

Originally Posted by Sherlock You could see the agitation on Misbah's face when SL were getting the 280, he knew it would be too much for a poor chasing side.

All down to work ethic and pride - lacking in Pak for a VERY long time - can't blame the boys, they've got one eye on a recall to the IPL - easy money, why sweat???

[MN Saleem]

Well, Lanka made clean win and **** players are always unlike in chasing.