New Delhi: Dilshan Madushanka picked up a fifer as Sri Lanka defeated by 8 wickets to reach the tri-series final with ease at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday, October 27. Madushanka and the rest of the Sri Lankan bowlers delivered a brilliant performance, with the hosts bundling out for 110 runs inside 26 overs.
In reply, Kamindu Mendis scored a brilliant fifty to help his team chase the target down in just 18.1 overs. The result eliminated England from the tri-series, with Pakistan facing Sri Lanka in the final on Saturday, October 31. After being asked to bat first, openers Fakhar Zaman and Maaz Sadaqat started with a boundary each.
But Madushanka removed Fakhar with five with a short ball in the fourth over. Babar batted well, but Asitha Fernando removed Sadaqat for 8 to further dent the hosts. Babar continued to bat positively and smashed boundaries at regular intervals, but Madushanka ended his first spell by removing Saad Baig for five to keep Pakistan under pressure.
The hosts tried to recover from early setbacks, but Salman Agha (9) and Babar (29) departed in quick succession, leaving them reeling at 61/5 inside 14 overs. Sri Lankan bowlers then didn’t allow Pakistan’s lower order to put up a fighting total on the board.
Sahan Arachchige dismissed for 2, while Madushanka returned for his second spell to cause more damage. He removed Arafat Minhas for 10 with a short ball, while Hasan Nawaz threw his wicket in the very next over. Madushanka dismissed Haris Rauf (1) and Shaheen Afridi (15) to complete his five-wicket haul as Pakistan folded for just 110 runs with almost half the overs left in their innings.
Kamindu’s fifty helps Sri Lanka reach tri-series final
The visitors then got off to a strong start as Kamindu Mendis and Avishka Fernando forged a 50-run partnership for the first wicket. Kamindu received a reprieve in the opening over, but smashed a boundary in the following over. Avishka also hit a couple of boundaries off Shaheen, but it was Kamindu who played attacking shots to keep the pressure on Pakistan.
Pakistan picked up two wickets in quick succession, removing Avishka (16) and Kusal Mendis (8), but by then, the visitors needed less than 50 runs to seal a spot in the final. Kamindu stitched another fifty-run partnership with Pavan Rathnayake as Sri Lanka got past the finish line after the drinks break.