Rawalpindi, Oct 18 (IANS) Salman Ali Agha’s 107 from 90 balls and fast bowlers combined to help Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in the ODI tri-series opener by 37 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.
Salman set the tone for Pakistan to make 305 in 49.5 overs in a rollercoaster first innings, which saw momentum swing from one team to the other.
Sri Lanka speedsters did the damage with the ball as Eshan Malinga starred with four wickets, while Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka shared five wickets, but Salman’s knock had put Pakistan a little beyond what Sri Lanka would have liked.
The visitors were put up a strong fight, especially after being 91/4 at one stage to take the game close. Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage scored half-centuries but Shaheen Afridi’s three-wicket haul and two wickets each from Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf saw the Men in Green bag the opener of the tri-series, which also features England.
Pakistan had started well with Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub hitting a few boundaries. However, they were in trouble soon when they lost both the openers inside the first six overs to be at 32/2 after 5.5 overs.
Babar Azam (45 from 57 balls) and Saad Baig (39 from 40 balls) joined hands for a strong 74-run stand for the third wicket; however, the hosts lost both the players in quick succession. Hasan Nawaz (37) and Salman put 97 runs for the fifth wicket, but Pakistan lost their way when they went from 279/6 to 305 all out.
Avishka Fernando was dismissed in the sixth over by Naseem, while Kamindu Mendis made a strong 44 from 50 balls. Captain Kusal Mendis struggled at 13 from 31 balls and was dismissed on 18. The visitors were in trouble at 91/4 in 19.3 overs and needed a strong stand.
Rathnayake and Liyanage joined hands for a strong 119-run stand for the fifth wicket and brought hope back to the team. But Rathnayake was dismissed by Ashraf on 79 before Liyanage fell to Rauf on 60.
Dasun Shanaka made a strong 28 from 18 balls, but when he was removed by Shaheen, the Lankan Lions’ tail could not fight, and they were bowled out for 268 in 48.1 overs.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 305/10 in 49.5 overs (Salman Agha 107, Babar Azam; Eshan Malinga 4-46, Asitha Fernando 3-59) beat Sri Lanka 268/10 in 48.1 overs (Pavan Rathnayake 79, Janith Liyanage 60; Shaheen Afridi 3-55, Naseem Shah 2-43) by 37 runs.
–IANS
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