Asia Cup, 2010
Wisden's review of Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Asia Cup 2010
Sa'adi Thawfeeq
15-Apr-2011
At Dambulla, June 15, 2010 (day/night). Sri Lanka won by 16 runs. ‡Sri Lanka 242-9 (50 overs)
(K. C. Sangakkara 42, D. P. M. D. Jayawardene 54, A. D. Mathews 55; Shoaib Akhtar 3-41);
Pakistan 226 (47 overs) (Umar Akmal 30, Shahid Afridi 109; S. L. Malinga 5-34). Sri Lanka 4pts.
MoM: Shahid Afridi. One-day international debuts: Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Amin (Pakistan).
Pakistan did not chase down an unexceptional target, in spite of a brilliant century from their
captain. After Salman Butt was bowled in Pakistan's second over, their batting was in the hands of
two debutants, who put their team behind the clock: Shahzaib Hasan made 11 off 33 balls and Umar
Amin seven from 26. From 32-4, Shahid Afridi lifted his side close to victory, hammering 109 from
76 balls, with eight fours and seven sixes, five of them off Muralitharan, whose ten overs cost 71.
Afridi put on 73 with Umar Akmal, but no one else could stay for long, and when he finally fell - he
was struggling with cramp and was well caught behind by Sangakkara off Murali to make it 205-7 -
38 were needed from 9.1 overs, a task that proved beyond the tail with Malinga bowling fast and
straight. Earlier, Shoaib Akhtar, in his first international match for 13 months, had taken three
wickets to restrict Sri Lanka.