Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan, 4th One-Day International: Highlights, Scorecard, Recap

Pakistan secured their first series win in Sri Lanka for nine years on Wednesday as they coasted to a seven-wicket victory in the fourth one-day international in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The tourists chased down Sri Lanka’s modest total of 256 for nine with 55 balls left in the match.

Lahiru Thirimanne was the standout man for the hosts with 90, but scores of 95 and 70 from Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez, respectively, helped Pakistan over the line with ease.

The win for Pakistan gives them an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the series with one match remaining.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls	4s	6s
K Perera	c Wasim	b Irfan	0	3	2	0	0
Dilshan		b Wasim	50	103	59	3	0
Thirimanne	c Shehzad	b Yasir Shah	90	178	126	5	0
Mathews	c Yasir Shah	b Rahat Ali	12	29	23	0	0
Chandimal	c Yasir Shah	b Irfan	20	25	21	1	0
Priyanjan	c Hafeez	b Anwar Ali	18	47	28	0	0
Siriwardana	c Rizwan	b Anwar Ali	19	15	11	2	1
Pathirana	run out (Anwar Ali)		14	23	13	1	0
Malinga	c Rizwan	b Irfan	17	19	13	2	1
Lakmal	not out		1	11	3	0	0
Pradeep	not out		0	4	2	0	0
Extras		2nb 8w 4b 1lb	15
Total		for 9 (50.0 ovs)	256
Bowler				Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Irfan				10.0	0	50	3
Anwar Ali				7.0	0	41	2
Rahat Ali				7.0	0	39	1
Yasir Shah				10.0	0	50	1
Azhar Ali				2.0	0	13	0
Wasim				10.0	0	43	1
Shoaib Malik				4.0	0	15	0

After being hammered by 135 runs in the previous outing, Sri Lanka were in desperate need of a strong start to this encounter. But when Kusal Perera was dismissed for a duck off just the second delivery of the day, the tone was set for another lopsided affair.

Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press

Admittedly, the home side did recover well from the early wicket. The dismissal of Perera brought Thirimanne to the crease alongside Tillakaratne Dilshan and the duo made steady progress in a partnership of 109, per Cricbuzz:

But after Dilshan was bowled, momentum was sapped from the Sri Lanka innings. Skipper Angelo Mathews (12) and the dangerous Dinesh Chandimal (20) both fell to soft dismissals after getting starts, and when Thirimanne was out 10 runs short of what would have been a deserved century in the 42nd over, Sri Lanka looked rudderless at 186 for five.

Pakistan, to their credit, bowled well throughout and especially in the latter stages, as they continued to take wickets. Eventually, Sri Lanka stumbled to what was a below-par total of 256 for nine in their 50 overs.

			Runs	Minutes	Balls	4s	6s
Azhar Ali	c Senanayake	b Malinga	33	52	28	4	0
Shehzad	c K Perera	b Lakmal	95	144	90	12	1
Hafeez	c Chandimal	b Siriwardana	70	112	88	8	1
Sarfraz Ahmed	not out		17	34	23	1	0
Shoaib Malik	not out		29	14	16	0	4
Extras		0nb 9w 4b 0lb	13
Total		for 3 (40.5 ovs)	257
Bowler				Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Malinga				9.0	2	46	1
Lakmal				8.0	0	50	1
Pathirana				10.0	0	81	0
Pradeep				2.2	0	9	0
Mathews				2.4	0	9	0
Siriwardana				5.5	0	28	1

Azhar Ali, captaining the visitors, looked to start fast in response and got Pakistan on their way with a brisk 33. But after the skipper departed, it was Shehzad and Hafeez who took up the fight with a substantial and swift partnership of 115.

Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press

Shehzad was the more eye-catching of the two, and although he fell for 95 from 90 balls, his effort was the catalyst for this hallmark win. He’d have been disappointed not to have made it to a century, though, especially as falling agonisingly short is a familiar feeling for the young batsman, per Cricket Record:

With the result of the match beyond doubt after that partnership, sparkle was scarce in the Sri Lanka bowling attack. They were able to dislodge a stubborn Hafeez eventually for 70, but Shoaib Malik tucked in during his brief stint at the crease, smashing 29 from 16 balls, including a towering six to crown a cornerstone win for Pakistan.

Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press

As ESPNcricinfo noted, it’s a series win that has been a long time coming for Pakistan in all forms of the game:

Shehzad, who was named Man of the Match in the aftermath, paid tribute to the coaching staff following another emphatic triumph, per ESPNcricinfo.com:

"

Today I just tried to follow the gameplan. Was dropped from the last series, I have been working hard with the coaching staff. Waqar, Mushtaq and Flower.

They all wanted me to do well as well. It’s a complete team effort, in the field as well. We are trying to change the way we used to play and credit to the thinktank. Sometimes they go hard at us, but it is for our betterment. We want to do well going forward.

"

Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press

Sri Lankan cricket seems to be at a precarious point. This side is bereft of iconic names like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene; although Mathews is a fine player and skipper, going forward, this is a team that needs to rediscover some identity in the limited-overs format.

By contrast, Pakistan are flying. They’ve made superb strides in all forms of the game as of late, with players like Shehzad and Ali giving this squad a refreshing feel. Expect the visitors to finish this series in style in the fifth one-day international, firmly re-establishing their reputation as a major force in the limited-overs game again.