Sri Lanka v Pakistan
15-Apr-2004
At Dambulla, May 18, 2003. Sri Lanka won by 12 runs. Sri Lanka 5 pts, Pakistan 1 pt. Toss: Pakistan.
This awful match came to life only because Pakistan made a mess of reaching an achievable
target. Strong winds forced the umpires to dispense with bails from the 12th over, but could not
excuse Pakistan conceding 14 no-balls and 12 wides. And they were lucky not to be punished for
a dilatory over-rate that saw 23 overs in the first two, torturous hours. Sri Lanka, in trouble at 53
for five, recovered through the diligence of Dilshan and Dharmasena, who added 79, the highest
stand of the tournament. Muralitharan chipped in with his best one-day international score before
revelling in favourable conditions to match his best figures against Pakistan. Even so, Rashid Latif
looked to be steering his side home until he rashly swept high to deep mid-wicket. Pakistan were
not helped by a strange decision from umpire Harper, who disallowed four overthrows when
Lokuarachchi's throw ricocheted off Mohammad Hafeez's bat to the boundary.
Man of the Match: M. Muralitharan.