Sri Lanka faces tough battle

PTI: Aizaz Cheema led a disciplined bowling effort with four wickets as Pakistan bundled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 188 in the Asia Cup cricket tournament on Thursday.

Kumar Sangakkara (71) and Upul Tharanga (57) hit fighting half centuries but their efforts were not enough to guide the Lankans to a respectable total at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

As far as the bowlers were concerned, Cheema was the most successful of the lot as he picked four wickets for 43 runs from nine overs, willy off-spinner Saeed Ajmal accounted for three wickets while Gul snared two on what appeared to be a decent surface for batting.

Sangakkara and Tharanga waged a grim battle, adding 96 runs for the fifth wicket, but the Lankans needed more, which they could not, against the pace and spin combo of Cheema, Gul and Ajmal.

Electing to bat, Mahela Jayawardene (12) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (20) gave Sri Lanka a flying start as both accumulated 33 runs off the first five overs.

Cheema, before his remarkable comeback, was clobbered for 17 runs in his very first over.

While Jayawardene blasted pacer Cheema for three fours in the second over, Dilshan joined the party with two consecutive fours in the fourth over off the same bowler.

However, Cheema had the last laugh as he lured Jayawardene into attempting the aerial route, which led to his dismissal. The Lankan skipper was caught by Mohammad Hafeez at extra cover.

Cheema soon took his revenge on Dilshan with a short-pitched delivery. The opener went for a pull even as the ball reared at him quickly from back of a length, resulting in a top-edge, which Ajmal managed to hold around mid-wicket.

Sri Lanka slumped into more misery as Dinesh Chandimal guided a sharp delivery from Gul to the slip cordon where Younis Khan completed a brilliant diving catch to his left.

At the time this issue went into press, Pakistan was 33/3, giving Sri Lanka a breath of hope.

Sri Lanka’s Suranga Lakmal bowls as Pakistan’s Younis Khan (L) reacts during their One Day International (ODI) cricket match of the Asia Cup in Dhaka March 15, 2012. Reuters