Pakistan won by 29 runs….

Pakistan went one up in the two match Twenty20 series when they beat Sri Lanka by 29 runs in the first game at the R.Premadasa Stadium under lights yesterday.

Sri Lanka who were set to make 176 runs to win in 20 overs, were 146 for 7 at the completion of their quota of overs.

Milinda  Siriwardana going for a six. AFP

Sri Lanka’s top order was a total flop while chasing a stiff victory target of 176. They lost opener Kusal Janith Perera in the third ball and in the following over Dilshan departed. Thereafter Kithuruwan Vithanage and Mathews succumbed to the immense pressure and Sri Lanka were 55 for 4 in 9.6 overs.

Debutant Dananjaya de Silva, batting at number three and left hander Milinda Siriwardena provided some entertainment to the packed house by adding 37 runs for the fifth wicket. Siriwardena, batting with growing confidence, struck two consecutive boundaries off Mohammed Irfan and then hit Imad Wasim and Shahid Afridi for sixes in his 35 off 18 deliveries.

Chamara Kapugedera, playing after a long lay off, hit a sixteen ball 31 with three sixes and a four as the home team fell short by 29 runs. Shohail Tanvir (3 for 29) and Anwar Ali 2 for 27 gave the early break through for Pakistan.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. All-rounder Dananjaya de Silva, Jeffrey Vandersay and left arm paceman Binura Fernando made their T20 debut . Pakistan’s hopes of putting up a substantial opening score quickly disappeared when opener Mukthar Ahmed departed. Mathews who opened the bowling with left armer Binura Fernando had opener Mukthar Ahmed caught by debutant Vandersay at point to give his first catch in international cricket. The Pakistani batsmen were unable to really get on top of the Sri Lankan attack at the initial stages.

But Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammed Hafeez added 42 runs for the second wicket in the 8th over. The new comers, Binura Fernando and right arm leg spinner Jeffrey Vandersay bowled well within themselves. The boundaries were restricted up to a certain extent as Vandersay completed his quota of four overs for 25 runs. Binura Fernando was struck for two sixes by Umar Akmal as the fourth wicket pair of Akmal and Shoib Malik added 81 runs off 75 deliveries which brought Pakistan from 83 for 3 to 164.

Umar Akmal after scoring 46 runs off twenty four deliveries with three sixes two off Fernando and one off Malinga and three boundaries , was finally out lbw to Malinga who had conceded 46 runs in his four overs.