DAMBULLA // All-rounder Thisara Perera propelled Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket victory on the Duckworth/Lewis method against Pakistan in their series-deciding third and final one-day international on Saturday.
Perera grabbed four for 34 and tore through Pakistan with lively, short deliveries to hold the visitors to 102 in 32.1 overs – their second-lowest ODI total against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s target was revised to 101 after rain fell in between a flurry of Pakistan wickets and the match was cut to 48 overs a side.
The home team raced to 104 for three in 18.2 overs, with Tillakaratne Dilshan scoring an unbeaten 50 off 55 balls, raising his half century by hitting the winning boundary.
“The bowlers set the tone, Dhammika [Prasad] and [Lasith] Malinga early and then Thisara,” Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said. “The pitch was doing a little bit in the early hours and then it flattened out a little bit, but when you’re chasing 100, you should play positive cricket and not block.”
Perera, who scored a blazing half century and also took three wickets in Sri Lanka's series-levelling 77-run victory last Tuesday, was instrumental in restricting Pakistan.
Fawad Alam top-scored with an unbeaten 38, but wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals and negated Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s decision to bat first after winning the toss.
“The wicket had a bit of spongy bounce ... if you scored 240 or 250, that would have been useful,” Misbah said.
“But we lost too many early wickets and could not recover.”
Perera tested the visitors’ susceptibility against short deliveries by dismissing Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal cheaply before taking a brilliant running catch in the deep to dismiss Shahid Afridi as Pakistan edged past their previous lowest total of 75 against Sri Lanka at Lahore five years ago.
Afridi, who disappointed after finishing wicketless in the series, was smashed through point by Dilshan for his ninth boundary to raise Sri Lanka's 2-1 victory in the series.
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