Pakistan secured a total of 277
COLOMBO:Pakistan scored total of 277 against Sri Lanka in Group A match of the ICC World Cup here.
Before the game started Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said that 270 would be a good total. The team got him as much.
Openers Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad started well, though Shehzad again exhibited some nerves. Shehzad’s (13) first scoring stroke, a slash outside off-stump to a ball that was pitched up, went through the vacant second-slip region. But Sri Lanka did not have to wait long to remove Shehzad as he nicked a drive to Sangakkara, who took a regulation catch, in the sixth over of the innings. Thisara Perera the successful bowler.
After Shehzad’s departure, it was left to Hafeez (32) to take the attack to the opposition camp. This he did in style and the 50 came up in 8.3 overs. Gone was the sluggishness of the opening match. At the end of 10 overs, Pakistan raced to 65, after having made 28 in the first five overs.
Hafeez and Kamran Akmal (39), who first came together in last September’s series against England and emerged successful till Kamran was dropped from the side, were on cruise mode, putting on 48 off 38 balls. But then, they were separated thanks to a misunderstanding – Kamran thought there was a single when Hafeez turned Muttiah Muralitharan’s first ball of his first spell to short-fine leg.
But Hafeez, strangely, did not agree and both batsmen ended up at the same end. The throw to Muralitharan’s end was long, but then it hardly mattered. Hafeez had already given up. After this wicket, the next 35 runs required to bring up the 100 of the Pakistani innings took 8.5 overs.
