Sublime Hafeez helps Pakistan draw first blood

Agencies Published July 12, 2015

DAMBULLA: Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez plays a shot during his century knock in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.—AFP

DAMBULLA: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets to go 1-0 up in the five-match series after Mohammad Hafeez claimed his best bowling figures in One-day Internationals before returning to register his tenth hundred here on Saturday.

Part-time off-spinner Hafeez has been under pressure lately after being reported for a suspect bowling action during the Test series in Sri Lanka but proved his worth with figures of 4-41 to restrict the hosts to 255 for eight.

He then made 103 off 95 balls as Pakistan, who won the Test series 2-1, easily chased down the target with almost five overs and six wickets in hand.

The right-handed Hafeez walked out to bat at number three after an opening stand of 47 and looked in sublime form, driving the fast bowlers crisply and hitting the spinners with disdain.

Hafeez, later named man of the match, said he had put aside the scrutiny of his bowling action.

“I have definitely put that aside and tried to concentrate on what is in my hands,” he said. “This series is important for us and we wanted to have a good start.

“I am glad I could contribute to this win and hope I can continue in the same way in the remaining matches.

“There was no pressure on me. I was given the green signal from the management to play aggressively and the plan worked.”

Hafeez went past his 50 with a six and hit a boundary off Thisara Perera to cross three-figures, before getting out two balls later in the same over. He smashed 10 fours and four sixes in total.

Shoaib Malik (55 not out), who added 75 with Hafeez for the fourth wicket, hit a six to complete the victory and also brought up his 32nd half-century with the shot.

Earlier, Sri Lanka got off to a brisk start after Pakistan captain Azhar Ali put them in to bat, but they failed to stitch together meaningful partnerships as all their top five batsmen were out after initally looking set for decent scores.

Hafeez was given the ball as early as the ninth over and struck with his third delivery to dismiss Kusal Perera (26) and break the opening stand of 44.

Veteran opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan (38) also fell to Hafeez, who faces a nervous wait to know his fate as a bowler after being reported by match officials for a suspect action during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle last month.

The 34-year-old underwent testing and is allowed to continue bowling until the results are known. He will be automatically banned from bowling for 12 months if his action is found to be illegal because he has been reported twice in a two-year period.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews (38) and Dinesh Chandimal (65 not out) steadied the hosts, who were reduced to 118-4 after Dilshan’s dismissal, with a partnership of 82 runs.

But Mathews holed out off leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who was man of the series during the Tests, at a crucial juncture, pegging back Sri Lanka’s efforts to raise the scoring rate in the final 10 overs.

Pakistan Skipper Azhar Ali termed the win as a great team performance and showered Hafeez with praise for his all-round show by calling him a champion player.

“It was a great team performance. Everyone played their part, especially Hafeez, who played like a champion today. Restricting Sri Lanka to 255 was a great thing for us. We kept them tied up in the last 10 overs as well. The bowlers bowled disciplined line and lengths throughout,” Azhar said.

Azhar, who was also pleased with his team’s batting, warned Pakistan against getting complacent.

“The batsmen too did really well to chase it [the target] down. The bowlers need to be aggressive and go for wickets. Yasir Shah is bowling really well and he gives us another wicket-taking option. We shouldn’t get complacent as Sri Lanka may come back hard at us. We need to continue performing like we did today.”

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, meanwhile, admitted Pakistan outplayed his side.

“We did not play our best cricket,” he said. “We just could not put up a good score and also could not pick up wickets at crucial stages.