Perera equalled Sanath Jayasuriya’s record for the fastest ODI half-century by a Sri Lankan batsman
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Sri Lanka opener Kusal Perera hit the second-fastest half-century in ODI history and the joint-fastest fifty by a Sri Lankan batsman to lead his side to a two-wicket win over Pakistan in Pallekele.
While Perera’s blitz stole most of the limelight, Pakistan captain Azhar Ali and the duo of Mohammad Rizwan and Shoaib Malik all deserve a lot of credit for their valiant knocks of 79, 52 and 51 respectively.
Ali got Pakistan off to a good start after opting to bat first, but would have been disappointed with the fact that none of the other batsmen, with the exception of Rizwan, Malik and himself, were able to make valuable contributions.
Despite starting well, Pakistan soon lost Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez and Babar Azam in quick succession. Ali and Malik ended up steadying Pakistan’s innings before Malik was dismissed for 51 off 51 balls, which included two boundaries and three sixes.
Malik scored a valiant 51
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Ali departed shortly after, making 79 off 104 balls, which included six boundaries.
Ali hit six boundaries during his knock of 79
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
However, even though Pakistan lost their two set batsmen, they were still able to finish on 287/8 off their 50 overs thanks to Rizwan’s innings of 52, which came off 38 deliveries and included five boundaries and a six.
Rizwan made a gutsy 52
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Lasith Malinga and debutant Sachith Pathirana took two wickets apiece, while skipper Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Pradeep, Milinda Siriwardana and Tillakaratne Dilshan chipped in with one wicket each.
Chasing 288 to win, Sri Lanka got off to a blazing start thanks to Perera’s stellar half-century. But, once Perera was dismissed for 68 off just 25 balls, which included 13 boundaries and two sixes, Sri Lanka began to slow down and lose wickets at regular intervals.
Even though none of the other batsmen were able to bring up their half-centuries, many of them did make vital contributions.
Dilshan’s 47 helped steady the innings after Perera’s departure, while Pathirana, Upul Tharanga and Siriwardana made 33, 28 and 26 respectively.
But, Dinesh Chandimal’s unbeaten knock of 48 proved to be the most crucial of all as he saw Sri Lanka to victory and ensured that they levelled the series at 1-1.
Rahat Ali was the most successful bowler with three wickets, while Hafeez snapped up two and Anwar Ali and Mohammad Irfan claimed one wicket each.
Ali was gutted to have lost, and said: “We had a decent total on the board but the first 10 overs were crucial. The way Perera batted,, it was tough to come back but I’m proud of my team for fighting back. When we took five wickets we needed to take another one but could not, that’s what changed things. We were looking for wickets but unfortunately it didn’t pay over. Rizwan made the difference in the end in our innings, he played exceptional shots. The young guys are working very hard on their fielding, it’s a very good sign for us. Yasir is fine.”
Mathews was pleased with his side’s performance, and said: “Both teams made a real game out of it, Kusal and Dilshan gave a really good start and they bowled very well to come back. But I thought Chandimal was brilliant, the way he pulled it through with the others. Our terrible display of fielding was embarrassing, to be honest, and we tried to put it behind us when we batted. The run out was just a misunderstanding, it happens so it’s all good. Sachith had an outstanding game with the bat and ball.”
Perera was named Man of the Match, and said: “We had to win this game after losing this first one so we played well. We didn’t want to think about too many things, we took some calculated risks in the first 10 overs. I had to do that because the target was a bit stiff. I try to do my best.”