All-round Pakistan ease past Sri Lanka in first ODI

DUBAI – Pakistan carried the winning tempo of its ICC Champions Trophy 2017 triumph in the first One-Day International against Sri Lanka, riding on a brilliant hundred by Babar Azam and a quickfire fifty by Shoaib Malik to beat Sri Lanka by 83 runs in Dubai on Friday, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, said an ICC press release. Playing its first ODI since the team beat India in the final at The Oval in June, Pakistan posted a good total of 292 for 6 before its strong bowling attack restricted Sri Lanka to 209 for 8, led by the duo of Hasan Ali (3 for 36), the right-arm pacer, and Rumman Raees (3 for 49), the left-arm pacer. Lahiru Thirimanne fought with 53 but it only delayed the inevitable once Pakistan had reduced Sri Lanka to 67 for 5. Even a late stand of 68 between Akila Dananjaya (50 not out) and Jeffrey Vandersay (25) for the eighth wicket was not enough to bring Sri Lanka close to the target. Once Babar Zaman's 131-ball 103 and Malik's 61-ball 81 set a daunting target, Pakistan's bowlers kept the same tempo they had done in the Champions Trophy final against India, taking wickets regularly. Sri Lanka had got off to a quick start with 30 runs by the fourth over, but Raees, fresh from taking 9 for 25 in a first-class innings last week, removed Niroshan Dickwella (19) and Dinesh Chandimal (4) in successive overs. Mohammad Hafeez had Upul Thanarga in all sorts of trouble before clean bowling him for 18. The offspinner not only checked the flow of runs but also took a key wicket. Sri Lanka went from 67 for 3 to 67 for 5 with the ever-lively Hasan dislodging Kusal Mendis (2) and Milinda Siriwardana off successive deliveries to end all hopes of a Sri Lankan win. Hasan bowled in the same vein as he had during the Champions Trophy, where his 13 wickets fetched him the player of the series award. When Pakistan batted it was Babar and Malik who lifted the team to an imposing total. Malik gave the innings the real impetus when he walked in, in the 28th over with Pakistan looking shaky at 124 for 3. He reached his 40th half-century off 45 balls as he took some time to get set. But once he was set he lifted the tempo by regularly rotating the strike and hitting a six and two boundaries off Thisara Perera. With Sania Mirza, Malik’s wife, watching from the royal box he looked set for a rapid-fire hundred when he holed out at deep midwicket off Suranga Lakmal. His knock included five boundaries and two sixes. Babar, who had been out of form in the Test series with eight runs in four innings, batted with caution initially and reached his hundred with five boundaries. Babar was finally out in the penultimate over off Lakmal. Pakistan lost three wickets in nine balls with Sarfraz Ahmed falling for 1. Imad Wasim (10) and Hasan Ali (11 not out) added 23 runs in the last eight balls – with 89 coming off the last ten for Pakistan overall. Pakistan had started shakily, with Ahmed Shehzad out for a duck. Fakhar Zaman and Azam steadied the innings with a sedate 64-run stand before Zaman missed Dananjaya's googly and was bowled for 43, inclusive of four boundaries and a six. Hafeez too looked in a fine nick in his 38-ball 32 but holed out the ball after being reprieved from a leg-before decision on review. The second ODI is in Abu Dhabi on Monday. SCOREBOARD Pakistan Innings Fakhar Zaman                     b           Dananjaya                                  43 Ahmed Shehzad                 c           Dananjaya b Gamage             0 Babar Azam                       c K.         Mendis b Lakmal                   103 Mohammad Hafeez         c T.        Perera b Vandersay               32 Shoaib Malik                      c              Dananjaya b Lakmal           81 Sarfraz Ahmed                    c           Tharanga b T. Perera             1 Imad Wasim                       not out                                                      10 Hasan Ali                            not out                                                       11 Extras                                  (lb-2 w-9)                                                    11 Total                                    (for 6 wickets, 50 overs)                       292 Fall of wickets: 1-11 A. Shehzad,2-75 F. Zaman,3-124 M. Hafeez,4-263 S. Malik,5-266 S. Ahmed,6-269 B. Azam Did not bat: S. Khan, R. Raees, J. Khan Bowling Suranga Lakmal                   10 - 0 - 47 - 2(w-3) Lahiru Gamage                    8 - 0 - 49 - 1(w-2) Akila Dananjaya                  8 - 0 - 51 - 1(w-2) Thisara Perera                   8 - 0 - 68 - 1(w-1) Jeffrey Vandersay                10 - 0 - 47 - 1 Milinda Siriwardana              6 - 0 - 28 - 0 Sri Lanka Innings Niroshan Dickwella               c S.           Ahmed b Raees              19 Upul Tharanga                        b                    Hafeez                           18 Dinesh Chandimal                 lbw b        Raees                                 4 Lahiru Thirimanne                lbw b        Raees                                 53 Kusal Mendis                           c S.                  Ahmed b H. Ali         2 Milinda Siriwardana              b H.          Ali                                         0 Thisara Perera                       c sub b           S. Khan                        21 Akila Dananjaya                    not out                                                 50 Jeffrey Vandersay                c S. Ahmed b H. Ali                          25 Suranga Lakmal                   not out                                                  7 Extras                                     (b-1 lb-3 w-6)                                         10 Total                                       (for 8 wickets, 50 overs)                    209 Fall of wickets: 1-30 N. Dickwella,2-34 D. Chandimal,3-55 U. Tharanga,4-67 K. Mendis,5-67 M. Siriwardana,6-108 T. Perera,7-132 L. Thirimanne,8-200 J. Vandersay Did not bat: L. Gamage Bowling Junaid Khan                      6 - 0 - 28 - 0(w-1) Rumman Raees                     9 - 1 - 49 - 3 Mohammad Hafeez                  10 - 2 - 32 - 1 Hasan Ali                        9 - 0 - 36 - 3(w-3) Shoaib Malik                     5 - 0 - 19 - 0 Shadab Khan                      7 - 0 - 26 - 1(w-2) Imad Wasim                       4 - 0 - 15 - 0 Referees Umpire: Ahsan Raza Umpire: Sundaram Ravi TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough Match referee: Andy Pycroft Result: Pakistan won by 83 runs