Misbah, Akmal lead the way in a 152-run stand after Cheema, Ajmal dismiss Sri Lanka for a paltry 188
The match, as it happened
Scorecard
Pakistan's new-ball bowlers had reduced a weary Sri Lanka to 65 for four by the 15th over, leaving the last recognised pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga in a precarious situation. Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq promptly took the bowling powerplay (overs 15-20) and decided to play his trump card.
Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal joined hands with Mohammad Hafeez and the duo bowled in succession for the next half hour. World cricket's most deadly spin combo gave away just 20 runs in seven overs and, at that point in time, Ajmal's figures read 3-0-8-0.
To everyone's surprise, Misbah brought on Shahid Afridi for three overs before giving Hammad Azam the ball after Hafeez was done bowling his 10 in a row without any success. Maybe that's the breathing space the gasping Lankans were hoping for. And they made the most of it. The left-handers garnered 78 runs between overs 21 and 35 and struck defining half-centuries to dramatically tilt the scales. A score of 158 for four after 35 overs healed the early wounds and Lanka were ready to switch gears.
It was time to take the mandatory powerplay and, thankfully for Pakistan, Misbah turned to Ajmal. Sangakkara picked up three runs off the first two deliveries and it was Tharanga's turn to face the bowler he last negotiated when on 10. What ensued was pure magic. Ajmal bowled a well-controlled doosra that drew the batsman forward, embarrassingly beat him and
disturbed the furniture. The 95-run stand was broken, Tharanga was gone with 57 to his name, and it was love-all.
In his very next over, Ajmal employed his stock delivery once again and all Farveez Maharoof could do was balloon it to the square-leg fielder. New man Nuwan Kulasekara then became Umar Gul's 150th scalp in ODIs before Aizaz Cheema, the man who accounted for Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan, came back to claim the wicket of Sangakkara (71). Cheema wasn't done, though. He sent back Lasith Malinga in his next before Ajmal accounted for last man Suranga Lakmal.
Pakistan were left with just 189 to chase, but the point is it could have been much lesser had Misbah persisted with Ajmal early on. The off-spinner's burst meant Sri Lanka's bottom five contributed just 12 runs.
Pakistan's start was equally stuttering — they were reduced to 33 for three — but valiant fifties from Misbah-ul-Haq (72*) and Umar Akmal (77) and their 152-run stand gave them an eventually facile six-wicket win. And because they chased it down within 40 overs, Pakistan also pocketed a bonus point and all but booked a place in the final.
Teams:
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Farveez Maharoof, Seekkuge Prasanna. Lasith Malinga, Suresh Lakmal
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Umar Akmal, Hammad Azam, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Aizaz Cheema.
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