Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 2015
Wisden's review of the fifth ODI, Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 2015
15-Apr-2016
At Hambantota, July 26, 2015 (day/night). Sri Lanka won by 165 runs. Toss: Sri Lanka.
Kusal Perera hammered 116, his second one-day international century, at better than a run a ball to set up a score that even Pakistan's in-form batsmen couldn't threaten, despite a placid pitch. Perera put on 164 with Dilshan, who - aged 38 and in his 319th one-day international - became the 11th to score 10,000 runs. He was the fourth from Sri Lanka, after Kumar Sangakkara (14,234), Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430) and Mahela Jayawardene (12,650). Mathews and Siriwardene weighed in at the end, clouting five sixes between them as they added 114 in the last nine overs. Sri Lanka's 368 was their second-highest at home, behind 398 for five against Kenya in the 1996 World Cup; they had only once made more against a Test-playing nation anywhere (411 for eight against India at Rajkot in 2009-10, when they still lost). Mohammad Hafeez was the most fluent of Pakistan's batsmen, easing boundaries square of the wicket, and stepping out to send Senanayake over long-off. But it wasn't enough; the run-rate only briefly touched six, and was regularly set back by wickets, three of them to Senanayake, in his first match of the series.
Man of the Match: M. D. K. J. Perera.
Kusal Perera hammered 116, his second one-day international century, at better than a run a ball to set up a score that even Pakistan's in-form batsmen couldn't threaten, despite a placid pitch. Perera put on 164 with Dilshan, who - aged 38 and in his 319th one-day international - became the 11th to score 10,000 runs. He was the fourth from Sri Lanka, after Kumar Sangakkara (14,234), Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430) and Mahela Jayawardene (12,650). Mathews and Siriwardene weighed in at the end, clouting five sixes between them as they added 114 in the last nine overs. Sri Lanka's 368 was their second-highest at home, behind 398 for five against Kenya in the 1996 World Cup; they had only once made more against a Test-playing nation anywhere (411 for eight against India at Rajkot in 2009-10, when they still lost). Mohammad Hafeez was the most fluent of Pakistan's batsmen, easing boundaries square of the wicket, and stepping out to send Senanayake over long-off. But it wasn't enough; the run-rate only briefly touched six, and was regularly set back by wickets, three of them to Senanayake, in his first match of the series.
Man of the Match: M. D. K. J. Perera.