Babar’s century seals ODI series for Pakistan

Babar Azam rejoices scoring his 20th ODI century

• Sri Lanka lose second game by 8 wickets

Abrar Ahmed jolted Sri Lanka’s middle order with three wickets

Fakhar Zaman celebrates  his half-century

RAWALPINDI: Babar Azam scored his 20th ODI century to equal the Pakistan record for the most in this format to help Pakistan seal the second ODI against Sri Lanka with a dominant 8-wicket win at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium yesterday.

The win gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 win in the three-match series.   

The day began with a smart decision from Pakistan’s stand-in captain Salman Aghar (who substituted for Shaheen Afridi who did not play due to illness) to bowl first. Sri Lanka saw a few batters get starts, but Abrar Ahmed’s strikes through the middle-overs stalled their momentum. The visitors recovered somewhat through valuable contributions from their lower-middle order, with Janith Liyanage and Kamindu Mendis stitching together an important stand that helped them edge towards a competitive total of 288-8.

However, on a batting-friendly Rawalpindi surface, that total was never going to be enough. Pakistan’s openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub began positively posting 77 off 58 balls, aided by Sri Lanka’s costly wides in the powerplay and poor catching. Ayub fell after a quick start for 33, but Fakhar and Babar steadied the innings with composed batting, putting Pakistan firmly in control with a stand of 100 off 127 balls. Fakhar dropped three times on 20, 28 and 78 went on to score 78 off 93 balls (8 fours, 1 six).

Then the seasoned duo of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan took over in a fine partnership for the third wicket of 112* off 105 balls to see Pakistan home. Player of the Match Babar displayed his trademark elegance reaching his 20th century and his first in international cricket in 83 innings. He made the winning runs to remain unbeaten on 102 off 119 balls (8 fours). Babar equalled Saeed Anwar’s record for the most number of centuries in ODIs for Pakistan. Rizwan anchored confidently from the opposite end and completed his 18th ODI fifty off 54 balls (5 fours, 1 six). Together the experienced pair held their nerve at a crucial moment and eventually steered Pakistan to victory in the 49th over. 

Sri Lanka came up with a very similar batting effort to their first ODI, where several batters got starts but none went on to play a defining innings. The openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara put together a 51-run stand for the second game in a row, yet the middle order once again failed to capitalise. Seven batters reached 20, but only Janith Liyanage managed to cross fifty – 54 off 63 balls (2 fours, 1 six). Liyanage was involved in two promising partnerships – 61 off 62 balls with Sadeera Samarawickrama (42 off 52 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) and 73 off 65 balls with Kamindu Mendis (44 off 38 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes) that did offer some stability. 

Pathum Nissanka run out for 24

Janith Liyanage played a crucial knock for Sri Lanka with 54

But Liyanage and Kamindu both fell in successive overs, stalling any momentum Sri Lanka hoped to build. Sri Lanka’s habit of losing wickets in clusters continued to haunt them. Three wickets fell for 12 runs off 11 balls. Wanindu Hasaranga (37* off 26 balls, 3 fours) found a few boundaries towards the end and got Sri Lanka to 288-8, a par score on this wicket. Abrar Ahmed returning to the side after missing the first game was outstanding for Pakistan, returning figures of 3/41, and it was his breakthroughs in the middle overs that really tightened the screws.

The third and final ODI will be played at the same venue on Sunday.