Javed ends Lanka’s winning streak

At one stage, Lanka were 25 for three and then 59 for four when they lost Aravinda de Silva, who top-edged Javed to Izaz at point.

Later, skipper Arjuna Ranatunga (58), Hashan Tillekeratne (29), Roshan Mahanama (54) and Kumar Dharamsena (28) chipped in with valuable scores, but the target always looked out of reach for the Lankans.

Javed, who took all the first four wickets to fall, later returned to clean bowl Chaminda Vaas to finish with figures of five for 35 from 10 overs.

The other successful bowlers for Pakistan were off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who took three for 43, and Salim Malik, who gave away 46 runs for his two wickets.

Javed, who was later named Man of the Match, also had the honour of clai ming his 150th victim in one-dayers during the match.

S SANTHANAM adds: The start was fiery, but the end did not justify the beginning. The manner in which Shahid Afridi had gone after the Sri Lankan new-ball attack, there was every fear that the Sri Lankan target in the stipulated 50 overs might go well beyond the 300-run mark. That the Pakistani innings ended at 289 for six, was a creditable achievement for Lankan.

After Rameez Raja earned the right to bat first on a perfect wicket, Afridi and southpaw Saeed Anwar set the tone for a bright start. Both were severe on the Sri Lankan opening attack of Chaminda Vaas and Sanjeeva de Silva.

Anwar began by square-driving a loosener by Vaas to the boundary and hit two more in the next over from De Silva.

But it was the firework display of Afridi that thrilled the crowd. The holder of the record for the fastest 100 in one-day internationals, he adopted a bold approach which at times bordered on self-destruction. He reached his fifth half-century off only 28 balls and 43 minutes, including two sixes, both off Vaas off successive deliveries. The first hit the sight-screen and the next was over long-off.

The opening pair put on 74 runs in 9.3 overs when Afridi edged an away-going Sanjeeva de Silva delivery into the gloves of keeper Romesh Kaluwithrana. Anwar shared a 38-run stand for the second wicket with skipper Raja before off spinner Muthiah Muralitharan enticed Anwar to step out, miss the line and Kaluwitharana did the rest. Anwar’s sedate 36 contained five well-struck boundaries.

The rest of the Pakistani middle-order stuck to the task of maintaining the run-rate at just five and above although it dropped considerably after the exit of Afridi. Raja played a pleasant innings but failed to convert it into a big one. He was taken brilliantly by Aravinda de Silva off Sanjeeva.Ijaz Ahmed was a victim of a brilliant catch by Roshan Mahanama at extra-cover off Sanath Jayasuriya and Inzamam-ul-Haq stayed briefly to make 22 with the help of two sixes and a boundary before falling to Sanjeeva, who proved to be the most successful of the five Lankan bowlers in action.Salim Malik, one of the most dependable batsmen in the squad, came out with another disciplined innings. But he too fell at 49, Vaas, coming in for his last spell, claiming his only wicket of the innings.

Moin Khan and left-handed Mohammed Hussain used the long handle to good use to add 20 useful runs in the final two overs.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN: Saeed Anwar st Kaluwitharana b Muralitharan 36 (60b, 89m, 5×4); Shahid Afridi c Kaluwitharana b Sanjeeva de Silva 52 (29b, 45m, 2×6, 9×4), Rameez Raja c Aravinda de Silva b S de Silva 49 (63b, 111m, 5×4), Ijaz Ahmed c Mahanama b Jayasuriya 29 (45b, 34m, 1×6, 2×4), Salim Malik b Vaas 49 (51b, 74m, 4×4), Inzamam-ul-Haq b S de Silva 22 (22b, 16m, 2×6, 1×4), Moin Khan not out 23 (21b, 35m, 1×4), Mohd Hussain not out 17 (10b, 10m, 1×6, 1×4). Extras (lb 3, b 4, w 5): 12. Total: (for six wickets, 50 overs): 289Fall of wickets: 1-74 (Afridi), 2-112 (Anwar), 3-158 (Ijaz), 4-190 (Raja), 5-219 (Inzamam), 6-260 (Malik)

Bowling: Vaas 10-1-71-1, S de Silva 10-0-59-3, Dharmasena 10-0-54-0, Muralitharan 10-1-39-1, Jayasuriya 10-0-59-1

(Sri Lankan card not received)