Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 2013-14
Wisden's review of the fifth ODI, Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 2013-14
15-Apr-2014
At Abu Dhabi, December 27, 2013 (day/night). Sri Lanka won by two wickets. Toss: Pakistan.
Chandimal and Mendis overcame high pressure to sneak a consolation win from the depths of 195 for eight. Three wickets had gone down in 12 balls, bringing Ajantha Mendis to the crease for the first time on tour. Saeed Ajmal won an lbw verdict against him first ball but, as Mendis began to walk off, Chandimal persuaded him to review: the majority of the ball had pitched outside leg stump. Chandimal pulled his first four in the next over to end a sequence of 19 innings without a fifty, and Mendis was put down by Sohaib Maqsood at cover off Ajmal. The mistake probably cost Pakistan the match: both batsmen swung Umar Gul for six in the penultimate over. Sri Lanka dawdled a little over their target, after Kushal Perera swung four sixes in the opening powerplay, part of a 75-run stand with Dilshan, who became the sixth Sri Lankan to 8,000 runs in one-day internationals. Earlier, Sri Lanka put in their best bowling performance of the tour. Mohammad Hafeez's tilt at an unprecedented fourth hundred in a series was scotched by one that kept low from Mathews, but his 41 was enough to make him the format's second-highest run-scorer in 2013, with 1,301. The only man ahead of him was Misbah-ul-Haq, who - having abandoned the reverse sweep - propped up the innings with his 15th half-century of the year, but then fell to Malinga. Anwar Ali did his best filling in for Shahid Afridi (absent for personal reasons) at No. 7, but Pakistan lacked a true finisher.
Man of the Match: L. D. Chandimal. Man of the Series: Mohammad Hafeez.
Chandimal and Mendis overcame high pressure to sneak a consolation win from the depths of 195 for eight. Three wickets had gone down in 12 balls, bringing Ajantha Mendis to the crease for the first time on tour. Saeed Ajmal won an lbw verdict against him first ball but, as Mendis began to walk off, Chandimal persuaded him to review: the majority of the ball had pitched outside leg stump. Chandimal pulled his first four in the next over to end a sequence of 19 innings without a fifty, and Mendis was put down by Sohaib Maqsood at cover off Ajmal. The mistake probably cost Pakistan the match: both batsmen swung Umar Gul for six in the penultimate over. Sri Lanka dawdled a little over their target, after Kushal Perera swung four sixes in the opening powerplay, part of a 75-run stand with Dilshan, who became the sixth Sri Lankan to 8,000 runs in one-day internationals. Earlier, Sri Lanka put in their best bowling performance of the tour. Mohammad Hafeez's tilt at an unprecedented fourth hundred in a series was scotched by one that kept low from Mathews, but his 41 was enough to make him the format's second-highest run-scorer in 2013, with 1,301. The only man ahead of him was Misbah-ul-Haq, who - having abandoned the reverse sweep - propped up the innings with his 15th half-century of the year, but then fell to Malinga. Anwar Ali did his best filling in for Shahid Afridi (absent for personal reasons) at No. 7, but Pakistan lacked a true finisher.
Man of the Match: L. D. Chandimal. Man of the Series: Mohammad Hafeez.