KOLKATA, Dec 30: Schoolboy Farveez Maharoof grabbed 4-39 as Sri Lanka ‘A whipped India ‘A’ by seven wickets in the final of the three-nation limited-overs series here on Tuesday.
In a one-sided match in front of some 40,000 fans at the Eden Gardens, the Sri Lankans shot the hosts out for 197 and then galloped past the modest target with 16.2 overs to spare.
Jehan Mubarak (61) and Prasanna Jayawardena (54) led the victory charge with a 104-run stand for the second wicket.
Both batsmen fell in the space of eight runs, but skipper Russel Arnold guided the Sri Lankans home with an unbeaten 31.
Pakistan, led by discarded international Shahid Afridi, were the third team in the tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council for the region’s second-string teams.
Afridi’s men, the first Pakistani side to visit India since Wasim Akram’s Test squad played here in early 1999, lost three of their four league matches.
Maharoof, a 17-year-old schoolboy, dismissed Indian World Cupper Sanjay Bangar for 26 and then polished off the tail with steady spin bowling.
Ranga Herath chipped in with two wickets as India A lost regular wickets after they had won the toss and elected to take first strike.
Sridharan Sriram, who replaced injured international Mohammad Kaif, was the lone Indian batsman to shine with the bat, making 65 off 81 balls.
The hosts, comfortably placed at 140-3 at one stage, surrendered the advantage by losing their last seven wickets for 57 runs.
Four members of the India ‘A’ squad — Kaif, Bangar, Hemang Badani and Yuvraj Singh — will join the senior team in Australia for the limited-overs tri-series against the world champions and Zimbabwe which opens on Jan 9.
Scoreboard
INDIA ‘A’:
G. Gambhir b Zoysa 24
S.B. Bangar c Arnold b Maharoof 26
S. Sriram run out 65
H.K. Badani c and Herath 23
Yuvraj Singh c Silva b Mubarak 18
D. Mongia c Mubarak b Herath 5
A. Ratra b Maharoof 15
S.V. Bahutule run out 1
Sarandeep Singh lbw b Maharoof 0
A. Bhandari lbw b Maharoof 5
M.M. Patel not out 1
EXTRAS (LB-3, W-2, NB-9) 14
TOTAL (all out, 44.4 overs) 197
FALL OF WKTS: 1-44, 2-66, 3-112, 4-140, 5-153, 6-182, 7-184, 8-184, 9-196.
BOWLING: Zoysa 8-1-30-1 (2nb); Lakshitha 8-0-43-0 (2nb, 1w); Maharoof 9.4-0-30-4 (3nb); Mubarak 9-0-45-1; Herath 10-0-46-2 (2nb, 1w).
SRI LANKA ‘A’:
S. Kalavitigoda lbw b Bhandari 18
J. Mubarak c Patel b Sarandeep 61
H.A.P.W. Jayawardena lbw b Bahutule 54
R.P. Arnold not out 35
M.N. Nawaz not out 18
EXTRAS (LB-9, W-3) 12
TOTAL (for three wkts, 33.4 overs) 198
FALL OF WKTS: 1-35, 2-139, 3-148.
DID NOT BAT: L.P.C. Silva, A.S. Polonowita, M.F. Maharoof, D.N.T. Zoysa, A.B.T. Lakshitha, H.M.R.K.B. Herath.
BOWLING: Bhandari 6-0-23-1 (1w); Patel 4-0-20-0 (2w); Sarandeep Singh 9.4-0-60-1; Bangar 3-0-19-0; Mongia 3-0-16-0; Bahutule 8-0-51-1.
RESULT: Sri Lanka ‘A’ won by seven wickets.
UMPIRES: Asad Rauf and Zamir Haider (both Pakistan).
TV UMPIRE: S. Amerasinghe (Sri Lanka).
MATCH REFEREE: G.R. Viswanath (India).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Farveez Maharoof.
MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Russel Arnold.—AFP
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