Barbar breaks century drought and Pakistan steamroll Sri Lanka to take one-day series. Shallow batting expose Sri Lanka’s ongoing woes as they crumble to 3-0 series whitewash. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor).
Pakistan cruised to a 3-0 whitewash against a lacklustre Sri Lanka as the tourists showed little resistence in the three- match series in Rawalpindi.
Uncharacteristic batter friendly surfaces did little for Sri Lanka’s batters who waddled in a lack of staying power as they posed targets well within Pakistan’s capability to overhaul, making it easy for the home team to dominate the series with little difficulty.
Game three which was a dead rubber turned out to be a fizzer as a reshuffled Sri Lanka line-up without key players, succumbed without a whimper throwing questions about strategy and whether a percreived fracture within had anything to do with it.
Sri Lanka laboured to 211 all out in game three in 45.2 overs and Pakistan made short work of the target cruising to the target by six wickets with 32 balls to spare.
Earlier, a bomb blast in the vicinity of the stadium that killed several locals threw the Sri Lankan squad into concern about their safety.
It brought frightening memories of the harrowing experience Sri Lanka’s cricketers encountered before escaping with minor injuries to several players in 2009, when a terrorist group opened fire on the team bus killing security personnel.
The result was a ICC ban on any team playing in Pakistan for several years.
Barbar Azam, (102), made a timely return to form with the bat spelling disaster for Sri Lanka’s aspirations to level the one- day series as the home team claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the second of the three- match series.
Sri Lanka awoke to the realisation that staying power is key to winning games which none of their batters got past 60 in totals that was below par on batting decks prepared by Pakistani curators for big totals.
Only two players, Wannindu Hasaranga and Janith Liyanage passed 50 in the three matches backing my claim of what contributed to their dismal tour so far. Pathum Nissanka, skipper Charith Asalanka, and Kusal Mendis were the notable failures among Sri Lanka’s hopes with the bat as proven performers.
Pakistan in contrast had two centurians in Salman Ahha and Babar Azam while opener Fakhar Zaman scored freely making 32,78 and 55 while Hussain Talat made telling contributons of 62 and 42 and run hungry Mohamed Rizwan 51 and 61 towards Pakistan’s dominance with the bar.
The first game definitely indicated that Pakistan was prepared to meet anything the Sri Lankans threw at them.
So when Sri Lanka were invited to bat first, it was an indicator that the home team was ready to meet any contingency especially if they kept them to a gettable total.
Sri Lanka’s batters fell once more with promising starts, then falling to a disciplined Pakistan attack that made timely inroads to make life for their chasers uncomplicated.
Harris Rauff was the wrecker in game one, he popped up again to lead Sri Lanka’s rout, adding three more wickets to the 4 for in game one. He claimed two more in game three to be Pakistan’s leading wicket taker in the series with nine wickets.
In game two, Pakistan cruised to their target with no issues as Babar Azam and prolific Mohamed Rizwan made short shrift of their chase.
With the turmoil and uncertainty surrounding the tourists after the devastating bomb explosion in Rawalpindi in close proximity to where they are, Sri Lanka’s squad has been fractured with upto eight players requesting to abandon the tour.
Whether it affects the mental composure of the squad going forward is debatable, and definitely not out of question, despite assurances from Pakistan’s government who have elevated their security to top level.
Sri Lanka’s selectors and coaching staff are now snowed under if the players excercise their right to return home, reports reaching here indicating that a review will be due process for the players abandoning the tour.
Sri Lanka has been a staunch supporter of Pakistan cricket after the world shunned the volatile venue after a bus carrying Sr Lanka cricketers were attacked by terrorists in 2009 injuring several cricketers including Chaminda Vaas, Thilan Samaraweera, and several stars who were lucky to escape with their lives. A heroic Pakistani bus driver drove them to safety amid the death of several security personnel.
But the fact that presents itself to the tourists is how they negotiate the team changes in the dead rubber and the Tri-series that follow which includes Zimbabwe ahead and the T20 series that follows.
Dusruptions of this sort tests the comeback plans of the best teams as Australia are currently faced with in their Ashes challenge against touring England with a spate of unforseen injuries.
Australia is blessed with an abundance of rich talent.
