Afridi, Razzaq prop Pak

With both Sri Lanka and Pakistan on three points in the preliminary league of the tournament also featuring the West Indies, the winner is assured of a place in Friday’s final.

Shahid Afridi, playing for the first time in the tournament, smashed five sixes and two fours in making 58 off 50 balls to give Pakistan a flying start.

Pakistan raced to 70 for one by the 14th over, before Sri Lanka hit back to reduce them to 137 for 5 in the 34th.

Afridi, who lost his opening partner Saeed Anwar in the second over, began by lofting left-arm seamer Chaminda Vaas over long-on for six. Nuwan Zoysa dropped a skier off his own bowling to repreive Afridi on eight, an error that proved costly for the Sri Lankans.

Afridi, who slammed one-day cricket’s fastest century off 37 balls three years ago, swung Vaas for another six and then hit two more in off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s first over.

A backfoot pull off Zoysa that sailed over the mid-wicket fence was Afridi’s best shot, but he fell soon after when another heave off Vaas was caught at mid-on.

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan: Saeed Anwar c Jayasuriya b Zoysa 0, Shahid Afridi c Jayawardena b Vaas 58, Wajahatullah Wasti st Kaluwitharana b Chandana 21, Inzamam-ul-Haq st Kaluwitharana b Jayasuriya 33, Yousuf Youhanna c & b Muralitharan 3, Moin Khan b Jayasuriya 29, Abdur Razzaq not out 59, Wasim Akram st Kaluwitharana b Jayasuriya 3, Azhar Mahmood b Vaas 16, Shoaib Malik not out 3. Extras: (lb6, w5, nb3): 14. Total (for eight wkts in 50 overs): 239

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-70, 3-96, 4-105, 5-137, 6-186, 7-198, 8-233

Bowling: Vaas 9-1-38-2, Zoysa 8-0-32-1, Muralitharan 10-1-57-1, Chandana 10-0-38-1, Jayasuriya 10-0-41-3, Arnold 3-0-27-0