Sri Lanka v Pakistan | 1st ODI | Dambulla | 30/7/09 [SL inns]

[pakistanbest]

Jayawardena goes, good work by Yk and Akmal!

[Khabri420]

Gone!

[Raz]

Huge wicket for Pakistan, Jayawardene run out. Excellent throw from Younis, threw at the right end and Akmal did the rest.

[insaftak]

jaywardne gone, lets get rid of the tail quickly

[azfar wali]

3rd umpire referred

[Khabri420]

Come on boys, let's go for the kill :afridi

[azfar wali]

gone

[iafzal]

Akmal tried to mess another out but 3rd umpire is not having any of it gave him out anyway.

[saadjhussain]

Mahela out!!! Great one!

[Salazar]

Kithsiri from Australia: "can anyone explain why selectors keep persevering with Chamara Kapugedera when he's proved nothing over the 50 odd matches played so far, look at average for a middle order bat (21.30) quite a poor result, isn't it?. He gets runs playing 1st class matches & has proved to be a failure playing the real matches. It is time the selectors start giving opportunity to in form youngsters such as Thilina."

Taken from cricinfo...

The Sri Lankans seem to have the same plight as the Pakistanis

[saadjhussain]

Akmal tried to mess another out but 3rd umpire is not having any of it gave him out anyway.

he's been really poor today

[Raz]

he's been really poor today

Mixed bag I think. He did take that catch off Afridi's bowling, which in the past he has struggled a lot with.

[slix10]

Any streams fellas?

They're all dead.

[iafzal]

Mixed bag I think. He did take that catch off Afridi's bowling, which in the past he has struggled a lot with.
you mean the ball that deflected of its path after passing the bat by 1mm?

[fawad_wellwisher]

Maiden by Afridi

[Couch Cricketer]

Mixed bag I think. He did take that catch off Afridi's bowling, which in the past he has struggled a lot with.

I think he does well only under pressure i.e his centuries and fifties in tough situation or great keeping when his spot was in doubt in the team ie before the Aus Dubai series
Once he was assured of his place in the side he has gone back to being an average keeper

[MIG]

Pak will be chasing 180+ ...

[Sheikh]

His pace is still at 120-130kph though :6:
True, and that's why it's best to give him the new ball which allows him to hit the seam and get some movement off the pitch.

He'd be absolute cannon fodder at first change.

[pakistanbest]

if they bat the 50 overs, we are very poor tail killers, we need to go for the kill

[saadjhussain]

Any streams fellas?

They're all dead.

Slix10 and Saad

DO NOT ASK FOR OR ADVERTISE STREAMS.

You know the rules so I take that you are doing this deliberately.

AS such - last warning for both of you

[Genghis]

Afridi just bowled the first maiden of the series. Top bowling by him. Continuing on with his good form in the T20 World Cup.

[insaftak]

if they bat the 50 overs, we are very poor tail killers, we need to go for the kill

bring in gulldozer

[insaftak]

what's up with afridi's hair cut, looks wierd

[saadjhussain]

they need to stop these singles!

[Khabri420]

Poor fielding by Fawad Alam!

[Genghis]

This Matthews fella is proving to be a real pain in the b**t for us. He always hangs around for longer than wanted.

[insaftak]

first bad fielding by fawad, i like his agressive style though

[fawad_wellwisher]

This Matthews fella is proving to be a real pain in the b**t for us. He always hangs around for longer than wanted.

good find for SL.

[saadjhussain]

he should give the ball to Gul and tell him to go to yorkers

[MIG]

Slix10 and Saad

DO NOT ASK FOR OR ADVERTISE STREAMS.

You know the rules so I take that you are doing this deliberately.

AS such - last warning for both of you

Bump.

[MIG]

Pak will be chasing 180+ ...

said so...

[Genghis]

Gul back on ... hopefully he can get his yorkers going again. This is the his chance to get some form back.

[insaftak]

umar gul is a completely different bowler bowling at the end of the game

[Genghis]

1 ball to go from Gul ... no FOUR ball please!!!

[Amjid Javed]

Pakistan dont want to be giving to many easy runs away, our batting has struggled already on tour when the balls swung around.

[Amjid Javed]

Sri lanka will be looking to get 200 here atleast!

[Amjid Javed]

Have to say Ajmal once again has bowled very well.

[fawad_wellwisher]

Have to say Ajmal once again has bowled very well.

established himself as a permanent in Pak squad.

[saadjhussain]

Gul sticking to line and lengh, not a single yorker attempted

[Genghis]

Gul sticking to line and lengh, not a single yorker attempted
If only he could bowl like that at the start of the innings he could be a complete bowler! :gul

[insaftak]

Gul sticking to line and lengh, not a single yorker attempted

happy now

[Genghis]

4 runs in the last three overs ... this is good tight bowling from Gul and Ajmal!

[saadjhussain]

happy now

:sohail

[saadjhussain]

If only he could bowl like that at the start of the innings he could be a complete bowler! :gul

if only

[Genghis]

There seems to be plenty of appealing reading the commentary. Anyone watching, have we been unlucky or are they good decisions?

[Amjid Javed]

SL 157/6 after 42 overs.

[Amjid Javed]

Intresting to see who opens with Akmal?

[saadjhussain]

There seems to be plenty of appealing reading the commentary. Anyone watching, have we been unlucky or are they good decisions?

off spinner appealing, they can go either way but i would say not out is the correct decision for them

[insaftak]

lankans should really take their last power play

[Genghis]

Bit of a gamble by YK. He's gone for Aamer at a time when Gul was bowling really well. Hopefully they don't lose their momentum.

[saadjhussain]

Intresting to see who opens with Akmal?

:malik

[pak4life]

Amir has been unlucky in this match he could have easily had a few wickets thranga was all at sea against him.

[Genghis]

Intresting to see who opens with Akmal?
Either Alam or Malik are good option to open with. This will still be a tricky total no doubt!

[Amjid Javed]

Average score here in dambulla is around 184/5

Thats something Sri lanka should get up to.

[dblock]

YK does tend to chop and change the bowling quite a lot.

[dblock]

Just realised that Misbah is playing and no Umer Akmal.

Otherwise side is as predicted.

[muhammad.kamran]

Either Alam or Malik are good option to open with. This will still be a tricky total no doubt!


specially for a team like Pakistan.

[Genghis]

Good over by Aamer, only the three runs off it.

This guy has really impressed since he hit the scene. Continues to improve. Deserves a wicket or two.

[insaftak]

what a shot by klusakara

[Khabri420]

Third Power Play taken now

[Genghis]

First boundary of this partnership ... FOUR to Kulasekara. These two have been a bit slow, but they've given themselves a chance to hit out in these last few overs now. 200 is looking like a likely score now.

[fawad_wellwisher]

Ajmal finishes with 1/40 of 10. Decent bowling.

[pakistanbest]

No Ball, Free Hit!

[Geordie Ahmed]

No ball by Aamer - Free Hit to SL

SL 171-6 after 44 overs

[Khabri420]

Come on Aamir you can't overstep like this!

[Couch Cricketer]

Good over by Aamer, only the three runs off it.

This guy has really impressed since he hit the scene. Continues to improve. Deserves a wicket or two.

Is the unluckiest bowler I have ever seen get the batsman to edge or play to fielder gets dropped.
Hits the pad and the Umpire doesn't raise the finger some plumb Lbw are not given forget marginal ones
The keeper catches it but the umpire doesn't give it out

I have seen all these happen to him in the Test series and seems like will continue in the ODI's

[muhammad.kamran]

i guess sri lanka would manage to score somewhere between 215 and 230

[Geordie Ahmed]

OUT - Aamer gets him

Kulusekara gone - Razzaq with the catch

[x2zee123]

dam sri lanka got good tail

[Khabri420]

Good over by Aamer, only the three runs off it.

This guy has really impressed since he hit the scene. Continues to improve. Deserves a wicket or two.


And your wish has been granted :aamir

[Geordie Ahmed]

173-7 after 44.3 overs

Aamer gets a deserved wicket for his good overall bowling

[x2zee123]

wow did i jus jinx their tail lool

[dblock]

Is the unluckiest bowler I have ever seen get the batsman to edge or play to fielder gets dropped.
Hits the pad and the Umpire doesn't raise the finger some plumb Lbw are not given forget marginal ones
The keeper catches it but the umpire doesn't give it out

I have seen all these happen to him in the Test series and seems like will continue in the ODI's

Others I would say are Flintoff and Ishant Sharma (in tests).

Bowl great spells but don't often get the number of wickets they deserve.

Also another linkage between the two is they tend to get top order batsmen.

[pak4life]

heart in your mouth time then he caught one shabash!

[Geordie Ahmed]

Murali out to bat

[muhammad.kamran]

Is the unluckiest bowler I have ever seen get the batsman to edge or play to fielder gets dropped.
Hits the pad and the Umpire doesn't raise the finger some plumb Lbw are not given forget marginal ones
The keeper catches it but the umpire doesn't give it out

I have seen all these happen to him in the Test series and seems like will continue in the ODI's


congrats he gets his first odi wicket...

[saadjhussain]

razzaq made that look tough too LOL

[Genghis]

And Aamer gets his first ODI wicket. Well bowled lad!

[Geordie Ahmed]

SL pinch a run there - 174-7

[Geordie Ahmed]

A single to end the over

SL 176-7 after 45 overs

[Geordie Ahmed]

Gul bowling now

[Genghis]

Is the unluckiest bowler I have ever seen get the batsman to edge or play to fielder gets dropped.
Hits the pad and the Umpire doesn't raise the finger some plumb Lbw are not given forget marginal ones
The keeper catches it but the umpire doesn't give it out

I have seen all these happen to him in the Test series and seems like will continue in the ODI's
Well I haven't seen the test series, but still he seemed to get some good wickets and didn't finish with awful figures. Anyways lets see how he finishes off today. We all remember how he bowled his last over in the T20 World Cup. It was Mathews batting then too.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Great start to the over by Gul - 2 dot balls so far

[Geordie Ahmed]

Now SL get a single

They move onto 177-7 off 45.3 overs

SL will be looking for a score of 200+

[Geordie Ahmed]

44444444444444

Bouncer from Gul and Murali top edges it for a 4 - well jammy shot

[Geordie Ahmed]

444444444444444444

Down the ground - good shot from Murali

[Geordie Ahmed]

What? BUT thtas been signalled a 6 by the umpire - definately a 4

[Sparhawk]

Umer is getting pwned by Murali

[Khabri420]

Murali going after Gul!

[slix10]

Lol sorry about that MIG bhai. It wasn't deliberately but a last ditch effort.

[Geordie Ahmed]

and now its another 444444444444444444444 to end the over

Murali doing the damage

SL 191-7 off 46 overs

Murali 15 off 4 deliveries

[pak4life]

A slower ball should do the trick

[Genghis]

SIX by Murali ... where did that come from???

[muhammad.kamran]

wow....what a brave tail SL have....they are better than Misbah

[x2zee123]

*** was that from murali thran lol

[Geordie Ahmed]

I hope that 6 given is corrected - 2 runs might just prove crucial

Afridi is back into the attack

[kingusama92]

LMAO... Murali teaching the Sri Lankan batsman how to bat.

Poor stuff from Gul. He's giving Murali length balls and is being rightfully dispatched to all parts of the ground.

[muhammad.kamran]

15 of the over

[Genghis]

15 runs in that Gul over ... poor bowling to a tailender. SL looking at around the 220 mark now!

[Khabri420]

Afridi being brought back!

[muhammad.kamran]

and murali 15 off 4 balls

[saadjhussain]

sri lanka will definitely be the happier team now

[Geordie Ahmed]

SIX by Murali ... where did that come from???

It was a fuller ball and Murali was ready for it

Was actually a 4 because it dropped a foot inside the rope BUT incorrectly given as a 6

[Geordie Ahmed]

Afridi's 1st delivery gets smacked for a 4 by Mathews

[Amjid Javed]

Murali doing some serious Damage here!

[Genghis]

I hope that 6 given is corrected - 2 runs might just prove crucial
Can't be corrected if they've bowled the next ball can they? I thought once the umpire signals the runs thats it, unless he calls it a dead ball and corrects the score before the next ball is bowled.

[saadjhussain]

what was Aamir doing wrong????

[muhammad.kamran]

welcome back afridi with a 444444444444

[kingusama92]

oh dear now Afridi as well.

[Geordie Ahmed]

A slower ball should do the trick

Gul tried that with the last delivery - went for a 4

[Khabri420]

Afridi needs to fire it in to Murali!

[x2zee123]

dam i hope sri lanka makes around 250 so we get lil more competition

[Geordie Ahmed]

Can't be corrected if they've bowled the next ball can they? I thought once the umpire signals the runs thats it, unless he calls it a dead ball and corrects the score before the next ball is bowled.
4444444444444444444

Down the ground by Mathews

We are getting SPANKED here

[Amjid Javed]

Sri Lanka now likely to get 230 which i cant see Pakistan chasing on this pitch!

[kingusama92]

Really poor bowling at the death from the Pakistani bowlers. They had Sri Lanka completely in control and they start bowling like this and ease off the pressure that was built up throughout the innings.

This total will certainly be tough to chase.

[Geordie Ahmed]

SL 204-7 off 47 overs

[Amjid Javed]

Poor death bowling here by Pakistan!

[muhammad.kamran]

i wish Abdul Razzaq should have dropped that catch on Amir's Bowling....so that murali could not have come to bat....

[Amjid Javed]

SL 204/7 after 47 overs.

[Geordie Ahmed]

dam i hope sri lanka makes around 250 so we get lil more competition

250 will be solid to chase on this pitch so i certainly dont hope they dont score that much

[Genghis]

35 runs in 3 powerplay overs ... losing all momentum. Still two overs of the powerplay to go.

[x2zee123]

* Last 5 ovs 47/1 RR 9.40 <------- sri lanka rampage

[Geordie Ahmed]

Aamer back in the attack - c'mon lad

[Sparhawk]

I was sure we'd get them for under 20o. This won't be an easy target anymore.

Aamer coming back

[Amjid Javed]

Gul needs to make sure he bowls a good last two overs here!

[pak4life]

Why cant we knock the tail out anymore this has been going on for a good while now.

[Geordie Ahmed]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Aamer caught and bowled - Mathews gone

[Sparhawk]

Gets a wicket with the first ball!!

[Amjid Javed]

Sri Lanka always seem to hold back last power play to last 5 overs of an inns.

[Khabri420]

Gone! Matthews gone!

[saadjhussain]

i can't see our batmen chasing this down

[Geordie Ahmed]

haha - Aamer juggled that before finally catching it. Thought he was gonna drop it

Great bowling from Aamer

SL 204-8 off 47.1 overs

[muhammad.kamran]

phew....wicket to amir....gets his revenge of t20 final from mathews

[Genghis]

And why did we take Aamer off when he was bowling well. Top notch bowling from him today, even with the pressure he picks up the danger man.

[MIG]

Whats wrong with you chaps? Why do we expect other teams to roll over and play dead when we bowl, just because our batsmen cant chase anything above 150?

[Geordie Ahmed]

Thushara comes out to bat

He gets a single and Murali is on strike

[Amjid Javed]

Thank God Aamer took that wicket!

[Amjid Javed]

Sri Lankas bowling attack liekly to cause Havoc in these Conditions.

[Geordie Ahmed]

In the air for a long time - very very tough chance, Yousuf misses it BUT it was tough

Murali gets 2 runs

[Genghis]

Thushara in ... surprisingly he has an ODI average of almost 20, and he's batting below Murali.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Whats wrong with you chaps? Why do we expect other teams to roll over and play dead when we bowl, just because our batsmen cant chase anything above 150?

Exactly - SL have a strong tail so we cant expect to take their wickets easily

[Genghis]

In the air for a long time - very very tough chance, Yousuf misses it BUT it was tough

Murali gets 2 runs
Darn ... could have had 3 and a chance to wrap them up quickly.

[saadjhussain]

that wasn't even dropped, didn't even touch it

[kingusama92]

:))) Yousuf nice try.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Afrid bowling now

[Amjid Javed]

SL 210/8 after 48 overs.

[Sparhawk]

Murali's superior batting skills proving too much for us. Gets a 444444 off Afridi

[pakistani]

why is afridi bowling now

[pakistanbest]

Omg...sl Back In The Game..............444 Runs!!!!!!!!

[Geordie Ahmed]

4444444444444444444

Murali with a good shot

[Khabri420]

Afridi bowling short....not the way to go

[pakistani]

4 more by murli omg

[pakistanbest]

Another 4444444444444444!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Geordie Ahmed]

44444444444444444444444

again

MURALI is destroying us

[Sparhawk]

This is a very annoying innings from Murali

[saadjhussain]

and we call gul a specialist death bowler

[Khabri420]

I hope Afridi can do something with the bat today...he's bowled very poor here in his current spell

[checkers.llvllaster]

Afridi getting spanked big time by Murali...

[Geordie Ahmed]

Gets a single to end the over - Murali retains the strike

Punished Afridi in that over

SL 223-8 off 49 overs

[Mercenary]

Why is Afridi bowling at the death??

[Geordie Ahmed]

Last 4 overs have yielded 54 runs

[x2zee123]

lol dam muttiah is good agsint pakistan as tail batsmen i seen it b4 loo

i jinx once more :))

[pakistani]

aamer does it finally

[Geordie Ahmed]

OUT

Aamer bowls him - GET IN

[saadjhussain]

they just gave this match away, well done pakistan

[Sparhawk]

That was more like a Murali shot. Clean bowled by Aamir

[Couch Cricketer]

Why is Afridi bowling at the death??

because Gul is out of form and was going for runs and Ajmal bowled out

[Genghis]

And another boundary off Afridi. Has given away 27 runs in last 2 overs. Figures went from 1-23 off 8 overs to 1-50 off 10

[Geordie Ahmed]

Murali gone - Aamer quick and full, does the damage

Murali 32 off 15 balls - very good knock from him

SL 223-9

[Raz]

Why is Afridi bowling at the death??

With the powerplay taken by Sri Lanka, really does raise eyebrows.

[Ali888]

Mohammed Aamer showing up seniors again

[Geordie Ahmed]

they just gave this match away, well done pakistan

last i checked we still have to bat

[ahmed16]

Why is Afridi bowling at the death??

Becuase he is supposed to be the best bowler in the pakistan team......

Love Muralis batting, seriously...very devil may care, can get out at any time...which he just has.....but when he is in, the runs dont cease to flow.

[shane]

Murali's gone but the damage is done. I would be surprised if Pakistan win it from here.

[Geordie Ahmed]

and we call gul a specialist death bowler

1 game doesnt change that - you cant expect players to perform 100% of the time

You seriously need to lower your expectations

[iafzal]

Whats wrong with you chaps? Why do we expect other teams to roll over and play dead when we bowl, just because our batsmen cant chase anything above 150?
why our tail lays down and gets out quickly. Why not expect the same from the other team? :D

[the Great Khan]

cmon lads we have a chance!! I fear the clique collapse though!

[Muddaser]

Murali's gone but the damage is done. I would be surprised if Pakistan win it from here.

Course you would.

[Sparhawk]

they just gave this match away, well done pakistan

230 isnt exactly out of reach. We just need to bat 50 overs.

[Geordie Ahmed]

4 by Thushara followed by a single

2 deliveries left

[saadjhussain]

last i checked we still have to bat

our players know how to bat?

[checkers.llvllaster]

Aamir is bowling really well under such pressure! Although, number 10 batsman are hitting boundaries against Pakistan...

[Geordie Ahmed]

SL 231-9

Last delivery coming up

[ahmed16]

Im afraid we lost this, i dread what Kulasekara is gonna do to us on this pitch, forget him....what about Murali, who seems pretty fired up.

[Couch Cricketer]

With this batting lineup we should not loose actually should win in 40-45 overs


Kamran Akmal†,
Shoaib Malik,
Younis Khan*,
Mohammad Yousuf,
Fawad Alam,
Shahid Afridi,
Misbah-ul-Haq,
Abdul Razzaq,

[Khabri420]

233 to win

[Geordie Ahmed]

our players know how to bat?

ofcourse they do

Nobody is forcing you to watch or follow the match so this wrist slitting is not necessary

[pak4life]

Younis not happy at all with the fielding

[saadjhussain]

1 game doesnt change that - you cant expect players to perform 100% of the time

You seriously need to lower your expectations

i was being sarcastic as afridi was bowling, i was hoping to see gul bowl

[Geordie Ahmed]

single ends the innings

SL 232-9

Pak need 233 to win

We can definately win this

[Genghis]

Pity Aamer couldn't get a 4fer. Bowled well at the death and the start. Gul is woefully out of form.

[pak4life]

About 20-30 runs too many we conceded but we still should win if we get a good start

[bluffmasterv2]

Naved should replace Gul for a game or two, he needs rest, he will come back stronger.

[pacman]

If we loose this match, it will be because of the pathetic death overs. Only Aamir was good at the death. The rest,... maybe seeing Murali, they thought it would be easy and paid the price.

[Genghis]

I agree, if we bat 50 overs, we should really win this one. Similar sort of the T20 World Cup Final. I'm still pretty confident.

[Usman Chadda]

Good performance in the field. Bar the freakish hitting by the tail and lower-order, I think it was a pretty good session for us. I know the powerplay went horribly wrong, but it was just the case of it being Sri Lanka's day rather than the bowlers bowling badly. Everything Murali swung at, came off. All in all a good performance restricting the Lankans below 250

I don't expect the batsmen to chase this down though. The Sri Lankan bowling attack is just too good atm, and on this pitch it will be even tougher. The batsmen should just go out there and try to not lose many wickets. I would love to be proven wrong, but I dont have any faith in this batting line-up to chase this total down

[PapaBear]

About 20-30 runs too many we conceded but we still should win if we get a good start
Loooooooooool

[fawad_wellwisher]

Aamir finishes with 3/45 off 10. Good bowling by the teen.

[Geordie Ahmed]

I think the key is to get a good start so i would tell the openers to really go for it

We have plenty of batting to win it so im confident of a win

[fawad_wellwisher]

It's crucial YK gets a good score today.

[ahmed16]

All in all....quite a good outing for Pakistan in terms of bowling, however Younus muffed up his field, especially when you have Yosuf fielding in the outfield during slog overs, where the hell was Malik and Afridi.

Pakistan kept to there lines however the batting powerplay undid them, perhaps enough to get Sri lanka back in the match, but I would still consider Pakistan favourites, but not clear ones, a few early wickets for SL and the Pakistanis will be under the pump.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Loooooooooool

Why bother if you have nothing useful to add?

[shane]

Good performance in the field. Bar the freakish hitting by the tail and lower-order, I think it was a pretty good session for us. I know the powerplay went horribly wrong, but it was just the case of it being Sri Lanka's day rather than the bowlers bowling badly. Everything Murali swung at, came off. All in all a good performance restricting the Lankans below 250

I don't expect the batsmen to chase this down though. The Sri Lankan bowling attack is just too good atm, and on this pitch it will be even tougher. The batsmen should just go out there and try to not lose many wickets. I would love to be proven wrong, but I dont have any faith in this batting line-up to chase this total down


I would like to see a pinch hitter. The Sri Lankan tail showed that this is the kind of pitch where you are better off trying to score quickly because a good ball is just around the corner. And the new ball, with the fielers in, is the best time to score quickly. So Akmal should open and look to attack.

[ahmed16]

It's crucial YK gets a good score today.

Imperative, mate, Imperative.

[hasanb]

Good performance in the field. Bar the freakish hitting by the tail and lower-order, I think it was a pretty good session for us. I know the powerplay went horribly wrong, but it was just the case of it being Sri Lanka's day rather than the bowlers bowling badly. Everything Murali swung at, came off. All in all a good performance restricting the Lankans below 250

I don't expect the batsmen to chase this down though. The Sri Lankan bowling attack is just too good atm, and on this pitch it will be even tougher. The batsmen should just go out there and try to not lose many wickets. I would love to be proven wrong, but I dont have any faith in this batting line-up to chase this total down

I agree with that assessment, I think even 200 - 210 would probably have been too much for us as well in all honesty. However I really really hope that Im proven to be talking out of my backside here :P

Aamer bowled well but SL were 160-6 after 43 overs...that damn powerplay and murali just swinging the bat like a deranged mental freak...ah lets just see what happens.

[ahmed16]

I would like to see a pinch hitter. The Sri Lankan tail showed that this is the kind of pitch where you are better off trying to score quickly because a good ball is just around the corner. And the new ball, with the fielers in, is the best time to score quickly. So Akmal should open and look to attack.

Or Afridi...even Razzaq.

[slix10]

The highest total is 282 on the ground and 117 lowest.

"The conditions for batting usually improve as the day progress in Dambulla.and though 175 is the average score batting first in day games at this ground, I think it's still an even game at the halfway stage"

[Amjid Javed]

Prediction:- Sri Lanka to win by 70 runs.

[fawad_wellwisher]

If they keep their wickets intact, they can win this one. There is no need to play extravagant shots.

[pakistanbest]

Our batting needs to fire and Misbah better not play play in test mode!s

[HaMmy FinE LeG StriKeR]

what a third rate fielding standards, dropping three catches.

this yusuf should be kicked out in the field.

lets see how they bat

over all bad fielding conceding too much runs in the finishing 2, 3 overs

really bad performance, again their hard work goes in vain

i dunno why the skipper takes the match too easy while they are in leading in the match.

[PapaBear]

Good performance in the field. Bar the freakish hitting by the tail and lower-order, I think it was a pretty good session for us. I know the powerplay went horribly wrong, but it was just the case of it being Sri Lanka's day rather than the bowlers bowling badly. Everything Murali swung at, came off. All in all a good performance restricting the Lankans below 250

I don't expect the batsmen to chase this down though. The Sri Lankan bowling attack is just too good atm, and on this pitch it will be even tougher. The batsmen should just go out there and try to not lose many wickets. I would love to be proven wrong, but I dont have any faith in this batting line-up to chase this total down
Dont worry, you wont be proven wrong, this is a mammoth total considering this pitch, and there is no way Pakistan will make it, lets see 46/3 , 86/5, 105/8, 110 all out

[saadjhussain]

Our batting needs to fire and Misbah better not play play in test mode!s

just hope he doesn't have to bat today

[MalikMohsin]

The plan has backfired today. Pakistan should have wrapped the tailenders by now. Disappointing performance from death specialist fast bowler, Gul. I guess he is having bad day at the moment. More than 200 runs is impossible to chase given the understanding of the pitch condition.

Anyways, by looking at the team squad today that means Malik and Kamran are to open? We can't afford too many try out openers all the times. That is gonna mess up the whole team line.

[fawad_wellwisher]

Razzaq I must say has a very poor ball catching technique. :O

[hasanb]

we are just stuck with shoaib malik and misbah for the rest of our lives arent we? the damn annoying 'how can i drop the vice/ex captain' mentality will follow us to the grave...i expect misbah to be walking out to bat for pakistan in a zimmerframe 3 or 4 decades from now.

[TaZ]

any links?

[Geordie Ahmed]

Prediction - we will win by 3 wickets

[HaMmy FinE LeG StriKeR]

what the ****ing performance really, 230, my god, what a bad end performance, giving away too many runs by the tail enders. murali has scored 32 runs in 15 bowls ***??????????

[Geordie Ahmed]

we are just stuck with shoaib malik and misbah for the rest of our lives arent we? the damn annoying 'how can i drop the vice/ex captain' mentality will follow us to the grave...i expect misbah to be walking out to bat for pakistan in a zimmerframe 3 or 4 decades from now.

Malik is a very good ODI batsman - has been one of our better batsman the last few years, has more than proved he is good enough in this format

[HaMmy FinE LeG StriKeR]

srilanka has so much good bowling line-up, its very hard now to win, i predict we lose the match. 230 is fcuking good score

thushara
kulesekra
murali
malinga

even mathews

fcuked up really

[shahidrazzaq]

I want Afridi and Akmal to open and quickfire atleast get 40-70 run 1st wicket partnership.

[PapaBear]

what the ****ing performance really, 230, my god, what a bad end performance, giving away too many runs by the tail enders. murali has scored 32 runs in 15 bowls ***??????????
All defeats begin with a poor team selection, we have selected a test team to play an ODI.

[shane]

Or Afridi...even Razzaq.

They tend to struggle against the new, moving ball. Akmal's technique is more compact and he is the most likely to succeed. Besides, Pakistan should keep the "Afridi" factor in the game as long as possible - it would be a big blow if he was dismissed in the first over.

[hasanb]

Malik is a very good ODI batsman - has been one of our better batsman the last few years, has more than proved he is good enough in this format

Yeah fair enough my rant was more directed at misbah although im not a huge fan of malik either. I really believe misbah could have and should have been dropped to accomodate either umar akmal or a specialist opening batsman ie Nasir.

[undisputed]

what the ****ing performance really, 230, my god, what a bad end performance, giving away too many runs by the tail enders. murali has scored 32 runs in 15 bowls ***??????????

shut up

[Geordie Ahmed]

Commentary for Pak innings is continued in the thread below

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?p=2047210#post2047210