Jayasuriya inspires Sri Lanka to beat Pakistan

Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya made a brilliant 97 before leading his bowlers to an emphatic 39-run victory over Pakistan in the fourth match of the Morocco Cup triangular tournament on Saturday.

Jayasuriya had fought an almost lone battle for his 97 off just 94 balls as his team limped to a total of 242 all out, before medium pacer Pulasthi Gunaratne claimed four wickets for 44 runs to bundle Pakistan out for just 203 in reply.

The result leaves Sri Lanka comfortably placed at the top of the triangular standings with nine points from three games while Pakistan face a must-win clash against South Africa on Sunday. The final group match sees Sri Lanka square up to South Africa on Monday.

Jayasuriya was typically explosive blasting 12 fours and a six to most parts of the ground while his most important assistance came from Mahela Jayawardene who crafted a far more sedate 43 during a fourth wicket stand of 111 that repaired some early damage and effectively won the match.

Russel Arnold worked hard during an innings of 34 from 51 balls as Waqar Younis (3-43), Abdur Razzaq (2-37) and particularly Wasim Akram (2-29) maintained a tight grip on the closing overs when Sri Lanka seemed destined for a score of at least 260.

Yousuf Youhana, like Jayasuriya, fought an often lonely battle at the top of the order compiling a polished 80 from 91 balls but he received even less support than Jayasuriya with just two fellow batsmen reaching the 20's.

Shahid Afridi belted three sixes during a cameo of 26 from 16 balls and Abdur Razzaq had 25 to his name when Muttiah Muralitharan trapped him lbw with a fizzing off break.

Mail Cricket Editor