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Change Your Life! |
At last, a much needed win for Pakistan |
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April 7, 200
Moin Khan celebrated his elevation to the post of captaincy as Pakistan scored a convincing 22-run victory against Sri Lanka in the third Test at Karachi, avoiding a clean sweep in the process.
No visiting team had defeated Pakistan at the national Stadium since 1954-55 as they recorded their victory on the fourth evening and stretched their unbeaten sequence at this venue to 34 matches in 46 years.
Former Australian coach Bob Simpson had once said that Pakistan "is a highly unpredictable" team and no one knows when they would bounce back.
Sanath Jayasuriya would readily agree with what Simpson had meant as Pakistan finished the match inside four days and on wondered how the home team, which had performed so well here, lost the first two Tests.
The pressure of a 451-run victory target proved too much for Jayasuriya and his men as they resisted for just over four hours on the fourth day before being dismissed for 228-run in 46 overs.
Sri Lanka's best effort while chasing was in 1997-98 as they went on to beat Zimbabwe, scoring 326 run in the fourth innings. India holds the world record -406 for four in the last innings-when they beat West Indies at Port-of-Spain in the 1975-76 season.
"We were committed to win here. We were hungry for a victory after losing five Tests in a row," said captain Moin.
"We wanted to show that we could do well if every member gives his 100 percent. It is a good boost for the team after heavy defeats in Australia and in the first two Tests ageist Sri Lanka at home," he said.
Although Pakistan couldn't stop Muttiah Muralitharan for taking another eight wickets (he raised his tally to 26 in the series), Inzamam-ul-Haq negated the off-spin of the star bowler with a superb century in second innings which followed a classy 86 in the first knock to win the Man of the Match award.
"Inzammam played superbly and his century in the second innings gave us a lot of runs to defend," Moin, who was made captain, a day before the test match after Anwar was ruled out, said.
Without their star players Wasim Akram (groin injury) and Saeed Anwar (stiff neck), Pakistan made five changes from the team which lost the second Test. They gave Test caps to Irfan Fazil and recalled paceman Mohammad Akram, opener Mohammad Naveed, Ijaz Ahmed and Moin replaced Atiquzzaman, who made his debut at Peshawar.
Shahid Afridi cracked 74 of 92 deliveries that featured 13 fours and a big six off Muralitharan. But Ijaz , playing his first match of the series after missing the three one-dayers and the first two test matches, struggled for half an hour before he was trapped leg before by Chaminda Vaas.
The only bright moment for Sri Lanka came in the second session when they claimed four wickets for 67 runs. Muralitharan removed danger man Afridi when Pramodya Wickremasinghe held on to a fine diving catch at mid-wicket. Yousuf Youhana (7), Younis Khan (7) and Moin Khan (6) all went in quick succession as Pakistan struggled at 197 for seven.
However, Inzamam took charge and found a useful ally in Shoaib Akhtar and they both added 50 invaluable runs for the eighth wicket. Inzammam's 86-run knock came in four hours with 10boundaries before he ran himself out in a needless attempt to retain the sterile as Pakistan posted a reasonable 256. Muralitharan finished with a rich haul of four for 89 while Vass claimed two wickets for 49.
Pakistan survived Romesh Kaluwitharana's onslaught but their slow over-rate eventually cost them 25 percent of their match fee on the second day.
They reduced the visitors to 100 for four by lunch, but little Kaluwitharana hammered a quick 42 which included three four in one over off Waqar. The 18-year-ols Irfan Fazil had a nightmare on his debut when Kaluwitharana smacked him for 27 run in two overs but not before Fazil had his first wicket off the 10th delivery of his career when he removed Russel Arnold for 48 just before lunch.
Kaluwitharana perished in the 33rd over when he attempted to steal a second run. Shoaib Aktar (3-52) polished the tail-enders, restricting Sri Lanka to 227, to give Pakistan a 29-run lead.
Shahid Afridi and Muhammad Naveed gave Pakistan their best start of the series in the second innings when they posted 70 runs in 18 overs. But Pakistan had a setback when they lost three wickets for only 14 runs with Muralitharan snapping up Naveed (27) and Ijaz Ahmed (3) cheaply. Pakistan finished the day at 88 for three- an overall lead of 117 runs.
Sri Lanka rued their cancers on the third morning when they dropped a couple of crucial catches. Tillekeratne Dilshan dropped Inzamam just before lunch when Pakistan was only 172 run ahead and the burly 30-year-old on 56.
Inzamam made good use of the reprieve, adding 124 runs for the sixth wicket with Younis Khan (61). Both batsmen played attacking strokes and bettered the 18-year-old Pakistan record for the sixth wicket against Sri Lanka by 24 runs. Imran Khan and Zaheer Abbas shared the previous best when they put on 100 runs at Lahore in 1982.
So much was their domination that Pakistan virtually scored a run-a-minute in two hour before Wickremasinghe broke the stand when he had Younis caught at the wicket.
Inzamam, who got to 4,000 Test run when on 66, completed his ninth test century, his second in Pakistan, with 13 fours and a six off 180 deliveries.
Sri Lankans were frustrated with some close leg before decision going on favor of Pakistan and made excessive appeals especially to local umpire Riazuddin.
Inzamam departed after making a superb 138 when he played a tired shot off Muralitharan to long off but not before Pakistan got to an overall lead of 350 runs. Moin Khan and Waqar Younis then took the match beyond Sri Lanka's grasp as Pakistan finished the day at 375 for seven and stretched their overall lead to 404.
Pakistan added a further 46 in one hour on the fourth morning before they were eventually dismissed for 421, giving Sri Lanka a virtually impossible victory target of 451 runs. Muralitharan added another four scalps giving away 107 run s while Ravindra Pushpakumara led the reamers with four for 66.
"We knew it will be difficult for Sri Lanka to survive five sessions," said Moin, who himself made 70 run in Pakistan's huge total.
With 165 overs at their disposal, the Sri Lankan batsmen were first undone by Waqar Younis' pace before Shahid Afridi finished off the Sri Lankan resistance with three for 50. Sri Lankan number 9 batsman Pushpakumara was their top scorer with 44 and delayed the inevitabke. Kaluwitharana stroked a run-a-ball 33 befor his off stump was knocked back by Sohib Akter. Pramodya Wickremasinghe was out for a duck for the fifth time in the series when he ran himself out.
Pushpakumara lifted Afridi for a straight six befor he was the last man out with the total at 228 as Irfan Fazil took a simple catch at mid on.
"We played very well throughout the 40days, but I am little disappointed the way our batsmen played in the last Test," Jayasuriya said after recording his third successive series victory since becoming captain last year.
Jayasuriya said that his team missed experienced Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga in the last Test. "they are the best Sri Lankan players and we obviously missed them a lot."
Ranatunga was forced to return home after fracturing his left thumb during a thrilling two-wicket victory in the first Test at Rawalpidi while De Silva watched the third Test from the sidelines after injuring his hamstring at Peshawar.
"Or batting let us down. we didn't aim for a 2-0 or 3-0 against Pakistan. in the end I am happy that we are going back with a 2-1 win. Not many teams have won against Pakistan in Pakistan," Jayasuriya concluded.
Source: Sportstar.
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