Shahrukh Khan
Age: 124
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Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Colombo
Sri Lanka's opportunity washed away by storm
The Bulletin by Charlie Austin in Colombo
March 17, 2006
Pakistan 201 for 8 (Yousuf 46, Maharoof 3-24, Lokuarachchi 3-47) v Sri Lanka - Match abandoned
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Farveez Maharoof bowls Kamran Akmal © AFP
The first one-dayer at the Premadasa International Stadium was washed out after a spectacular mid-innings thunderstorm drenched Colombo, flooding the stadium within minutes and denying Sri Lanka the chance to take a 1-0 lead in the series after a fine performance in the field that restricted Pakistan to a modest 201 for 8.
Sri Lanka's bowlers and fielders justified Marvan Atapattu's brave decision to bowl with a tight and disciplined display that restricted Pakistan to a modest 201-run total. The bowlers bowled gun-barrel straight and the fielders - aside from one blemish from Upul Tharanga who grassed a sitter off Younis Khan - were energetic and predatory.
Conventional wisdom at Premadasa suggests you bat first in day-nighters, and when Atapattu won the toss it was greeted with loud cheers as the crowd prepared for a Sri Lankan run feast. But Atapattu and the Sri Lanka team management correctly judged that this was an unusual two-paced surface with a smidgen of moisture lurking beneath the surface.
They were also aware that the weather forecasters had predicted rain during the evening. If Duckworth-Lewis was to be used after interruptions they wanted to make sure they were able to control their run chase. In the event it proved immaterial as the storm was so powerful that any hope of a resumption in the game was washed away within minutes.
Farveez Maharoof starred during the afternoon with a miserly new-ball effort, a performance he delivered while under close scrutiny following his lacklustre bowling during the Bangladesh Tests. He maintained parsimonious control and nipped the odd ball off the seam, including one that carved Kamran Akmal in two before knocking back the top of his off stump. Atapattu forced him through eight tight overs (2 for 16) and then when he brought him back he snapped up the prize scalp of Inzamam-ul-Haq, courtesy of a wonderful diving catch by Kumar Sangakkara.
Maharoof's exemplary performance - he finished with 3 for 24 - was followed by that of Kausal Lokuarachchi (3 for 47), who had been preferred to Malinga Bandara at the toss because of his greater value with the bat. In the end, though, he did admirably with the ball, accounting for three of Pakistan's most destructive batsmen: Mohammad Yousuf (46), Shahid Afridi (two) and Abdul Razzaq (32). But it was not just a two-man show with Muttiah Muralitharan bowling well for his 0 for 33 and Lasith Malinga also impressive (1 for 38).
The only time when it looked like Pakistan were building up some momentum was when Inzamam and Yousuf shared a 53-run stand in 68 balls. Inzamam was unfazed by the slowness of the pitch and actively hunted for scoring opportunities, using his feet expertly to Muralitharan. But Atapattu's decision to recall Maharoof ended his resistance as he was tricked by a slower delivery trying to glide a delivery down to third man.
Younis Khan (41), dropped on 16 by Tharanga, and Abdul Razzaq (32) though prevented a meek surrender with a 52-run partnership from 65 balls. The stand allowed Pakistan to limp past the 200-mark in the final over, giving them at least a semblance of hope had any play been possible.
How they were out
Pakistan
Kamran Akmal b Maharoof 5 (8 for 1)
Ball nips back and hits top of off
Shoaib Malik b Maharoof 7 (27 for 2)
Chops on while driving off back foot
Salman Butt c Lokuarachchi b Muralitharan 26 (54 for 3)
Reached for and mistimed drive to short cover
Inzamam ul Haq c Sangakkara b Maharoof 24 (107 for 4)
Brilliant low diving catch off open-faced glide
Mohammad Yousuf c Dilshan b Lokuarchchi 46 (121 for 5)
Mistimed drive to cover
Shahid Afridi lbw Lokuarachchi 2 (127 for 6)
Hit on back leg after furious slog sweep - bad decision
Abdul Razzaq c Tharanga b Lokuarachchi 32 (179 for 7)
Holes out in deep looking for third six
Younis Khan b Prasad 41 (198 for 8)
Missed wild slog to leg
Shahrukh Khan
Age: 124
7858 days old here
Total Posts: 43596
Points: 0
Location:
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Pakistan prevail in low-scoring tussle
The Bulletin by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan
March 19, 2006
Pakistan 134 for 6 (Razzaq 41*) beat Sri Lanka 130 (Dilshan 48*) by 4 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Abdul Razzaq starred with both bat and ball as Pakistan grabbed a 1-0 lead © Getty Images
A superior medium-pace attack, and depth in batting allowed Pakistan to prevail in a low-scoring joust at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Choosing to field first on a sluggish pitch, Inzamam-ul-Haq's men skittled Sri Lanka for a paltry 130 before huffing and puffing to a four-wicket win.
With the opening encounter washed out, Pakistan's hard-fought win ensured that they couldn't lose the three-match series. They could have inflicted even more humiliation, especially when Sri Lanka were reeling at 56 for 7, but a nuggety 48 from Tillakaratne Dilshan lent a coat of respectability. Pakistan succumbed to rashness themselves, skidding to 47 for 5, but a composed 41 from Abdul Razzaq propelled them to the target.
A depleted Sri Lankan side, further weakened by the back injury to Marvan Atapattu, struggled to come to grips with a nippy attack exploiting the slow pitch. A revitilised Rana Naved-ul-Hasan triggered the collapse, when he induced a leading edge off Chamara Kapugedera before a couple of unfortunate leg-before decisions, to Kumar Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga, did Sri Lanka in. Rana's peach of an away swinger induced Mahela Jayawardene to feather an edge and he received some admirable support from the other end as Rao Iftikhar Anjum pried out Russel Arnold and Farveez Maharoof. Sri Lanka, in just the 21st over, were floundering at 56 for 7 and all were readying themselves for an early finish.
Dilshan, though, refused to budge. He found support in the form of Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga and eked out some valuable runs, mainly employing nudges and glides against the slower men. Strangely, Inzamam preferred to persist with his spinners rather than bring on his faster men and mop up the tail. Afridi finally dismissed both the tailenders, deceiving them with turn and variation of pace, and Dilshan was left stranded on 48 when Rana returned and uprooted Muttiah Muralitharan's leg stump.
Pakistan's openers, with four overs to negotiate before the lunch break, took the manic approach. Afridi, promoted to open the batting, fell victim to an ambitious loft, while Salman Butt flashed at a wide ball and saw Sangakkara pull off a sharp chance to his left. The procession continued after the interval with Lasith Malinga leading the way with a slinging burst. If Younis Khan was frustrated out, with his tip-and-run strategy being stifled, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik paid for being rooted to the crease.
At 47 for 5, things could have gone either way but sense finally prevailed as Mohammad Yousuf and Razzaq decided to use the plough rather than the sword. Hard-fought graft was the only way to win the day and their 35-run stand steadied the innings. Kamran Akmal batting at No.8 always gave Pakistan a cushion and his cool 20 went a long way in calming a few nerves.
But it was Razzaq who sealed the issue with a mix of attrition and blast. He showed all the virtues required to confront the nagging spin attack and didn't attempt the big strokes till the margin was considerably reduced. He might have ended it all with a sequence that read four, six, four but it was his doggedness that had seen Pakistan through, to a position from where they cannot lose the series.
How they were out
Sri Lanka
Chamara Kapugedera c Yousuf b Naved 1 (3 for 1)
Leading edge pouched by mid-on
Kumar Sangakkara lbw b Asif 1 (7 for 2)
Pitched outside leg but appeal upheld
Mahela Jayawardene c Akmal b Naved 0 (16 for 3)
Feathered an edge while trying to drive through the covers
Upul Tharanga lbw b Razzaq 19 (39 for 4)
Tried to flick and missed; another poor decision with ball pitching outside leg
Russel Arnold b Rao 16 (43 for 5)
Inside edges an incutter
Farveez Maharoof c Afridi b Rao 2 (51 for 6)
Slapped straight to cover
Kaushal Lokuarachchi c Akmal b Razzaq 1 (56 for 7)
Drove while rooted to the crease
Nuwan Kulasekara lbw b Afridi 11 (98 for 8)
Missed a straighter one while trying to pull
Lasith Malinga lbw b Afridi 15 (123 for 9)
Struck on the front foot while trying to defend
Muttiah Muralitharan b Naved 2 (130 all out)
Missed while trying to slog to midwicket
Pakistan
Shahid Afridi c Sangakkara b Malinga 2 (12 for 1)
Attempted a big hit; skied it high in the air
Salman Butt c Sangakkara b Maharoof 4 (15 for 2)
Flashed at a wide one; sharp catch behind the stumps
Younis Khan run out (Arnold) 4 (34 for 3)
Tried to tip and run; beaten by a direct from gully
Inzamam-ul-Haq lbw b Malinga 1 (39 for 4)
Rooted to the crease, trapped in front
Shoaib Malik c Jayawardene b Kulasekara 17 (47 for 5)
Pokes at an away swinger; good low catch at first slip
Mohammad Yousuf lbw b Lokuarachchi 26 (82 for 6)
Missed a looping legspinner; plumb in front
Shahrukh Khan
Age: 124
7858 days old here
Total Posts: 43596
Points: 0
Location:
Netherlands, Netherlands
Pakistan ease to series victory
The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin
March 22, 2006
Pakistan 229 for 6 (Yousuf 53, Malik 46, Muralitharan 3-58) beat Sri Lanka 224 (Kapugedera 50, Dilshan 44, Afridi 3-37)
Pakistan, with the new, facially-hirsute Mohammad Yousuf leading the way, bounced back from an Indian thumping, to beat Sri Lanka with some comfort by four wickets and wrap up an impressive one-day series win. Although Yousuf's untroubled 53 - his 48th ODI fifty - saw them to within touching distance, Pakistan's upper-order had earlier shrugged aside their recent flimsiness to set up the platform for the win.
Until this match, Pakistan's top-order had displayed all the solidity of jello in recent contests; since the first ODI against India last month, they had managed 'starts' of 68 for 4, 82 for 4, 97 for 5 and more recently, in Sri Lanka 54 for 3 and 47 for 5. They re-jigged the order today, bringing in Imran Farhat in place of Salman Butt, moving Shoaib Malik up to open and Younis Khan - in the most democratic decision in Pakistan given the level of public support - to one-down.
The tinkering seemed to have paid off as initially Malik, adapting to yet another role in his versatile career, set the early pace with a blistering 38-ball 46. Both Lasith Malinga and Farvez Maharoof, splendidly spot-on through the series, struggled to locate the right line and length for this pitch and Malik took shameless advantage. He began in the second over, with a nervous scythe over point for four, followed it with a deliciously checked straight drive and didn't look back thereafter.
He took a particular liking to Dammika Prasad's medium-pace, friendly enough to be flirtatious, punishing him as he strayed regularly on to his pads. Such was the scoring that Muttiah Muralitharan, wicketless so far in the series, was brought on as early as the ninth over and with immediate effect. Malik took ten runs off the first three balls before driving to cover off the fourth, but Pakistan were away, a rare fifty-plus opening stand to the good and a run-rate to make the rest of the chase relatively comfortable.
Imran Farhat, smartly subdued in Malik's slipstream till then, took over. Despite Muralitharan's presence, he sustained momentum, using his feet to hit boundaries square and straight. Jayawardene changed his bowlers round with little luck; Malinga, Murali and Lokuarachchi all came and went for plenty runs. And then, just as his inclusion ahead of Butt was looking justified, not for the first time Farhat inexplicably lost his cool charging down to Dilshan four short of a well-deserved fifty.
And although Pakistan lost wickets at fairly regular intervals - Younis Khan and Inzamam-ul-Haq both fell to shots off Muralitharan that should be charitably described as awful - Yousuf's delicately nuanced knock made Sri Lanka's total seem rightly inadequate. That it ultimately proved a meagre target was due in large part to methods the hosts would have been only too familiar with.
Imitation can be various forms of flattery - sincere, cheap, and ultimate - but in Pakistan's deployment of Sri Lanka's famed middle overs choke, it was mostly just effective. The tools were different; where a horde of screeching, screaming Sri Lankan spinners came into play after the new ball, Pakistan used the bustle of Shahid Afridi and the quiet cunning of Abdul Razzaq. Until Afridi came on in the 21st over, the hosts were floating serenely. Upal Tharanga and Chamara Kapugedera had provided a 57-run start, low on frills, high on effectiveness. Despite the loss of the former, Sri Lanka found themselves at 86 for 1 after 20 overs.
Kapugedera was looking particularly forceful, wearing the gung-ho conviction of a neoconservative. Like wars fought irrespective of whether or not there is justification, Kapugedera drove balls with no regard for length or line. Short of length, as Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Rao Iftikhar both found, were driven on the up and generally lofted and fuller, as Asif discovered, driven traditionally along the ground and through cover. But having reached a fifty (maiden for him and this series), he was run out immediately after coincidentally in Afridi's second over, sold short by Kumar Sangakkara. That sparked off the strangle.
...while earlier in the day Shahid Afridi proved a handful with his varied spin © AFP
Afridi then did what he often does on slow pitches, bowling his full quota straight through. He harried batsmen with wrong `uns, off-spinners, faster balls, all bowled so relentlessly that he gave batsmen no time to think let alone play strokes. He got grip, spin and bounce and three key middle order wickets. Razzaq's was medium-pace asphyxiation, varying his pace, length and lines but never his frugality and as the fielders fielders gradually woke up from the clumsy inertia that gripped them in the morning, Pakistan stepped back into the game.
Tillakaratne Dilshan eventually bailed out Sri Lanka, not for the first time in this series, and ensured Jayawardene had at least a competitive total to play with. His 44-run cameo, initially dogged, latterly delightful, enabled Sri Lanka to eke out 224 from when he had walked in, at the nervy realms of 133 for 5, with 15 overs still to go. The poor timing of his dismissal, and that of Maharoof's earlier, was emblematic of Sri Lanka's batsmen; although there is rarely a good time to lose a wicket, Sri Lanka today picked the worst possible time every time.
Qualification for the Champions Trophy ensured and an overseas ODI victory secured, Pakistan will already be shedding the ODI result against India from their memories. As will India of course, albeit for vastly differing reasons.
How they were out
Sri Lanka
Upal Tharanga c Akmal b Razzaq 23 (57 for 1)
Chasing one that angled and swung away, Akmal dives to left to take a good, low catch
Chamara Kapugedera run out Younis/Afridi 50 (93-2)
Runs too far down from non-strikers' end as ball played out to point and not able to return in time
Kumara Sangakkara c Akmal b Afridi 22 (105-3)
Egded a wide wrong `un going wider, good catch
KS Lokuarachchi c Yousuf b Afridi 13 (131-4)
Sweeping in frustration straight to deep midwicket
Russell Arnold st Akmal b Afridi 0 (133-5)
Overbalanced a little stepping out, quick work by Akmal
Mahela Jayawardene run out Younis 31 (156-6)
Risky run straight to cover, clean pick up and direct hit finds him inches short
Farvez Maharoof c Farhat b Asif 19 (193-7)
Skied a clever slower ball to long on
Tilekeratne Dilshan b Malik 44 (216-8)
Bowled pulling an off-spinner
Muttiah Muralitharan c Iftikhar b Rana 2 (224-9)
Slogged a slower ball to deep midwicket for a well-judged running catch
Lasith Malinga b Rana 0 (224-10)
Missed a slower, straight ball
Pakistan
Shoaib Malik c Kapugedera b Muralitharan 46 (61-1)
Dancing down, mistimes a drive to cover
Imran Farhat st Sangakkara b Dilshan 46 (117-2)
Unneccesarily stepping out to slog, beaten by turn
Younis Khan st Sangakkara b Muralitharan 25 (137-3)
Horribly deceived by doosra charging out
Inzamam-ul-Haq b Muralitharan 12 (177-4)
Sweeping the wrong length, bowled round his legs
Mohammad Yousuf lbw Maharoof 53 (207-5)
Plumb in front to one that swung in late
Shahid Afridi c Muralitharan b Lokuarachchi 1 (210-6)
Skies a slog sweep to square leg
