Sports Reporter :A five-wicket haul by pacer Lasith Malinga powered Sri Lanka to earn a 12-run win over Pakistan in the opening match of the Asia Cup at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah on Tuesday.Lasith Malinga bowled extremely well and finished as 9.5-0-52-5.Winning in the coin-session Sri Lanka decided to bat first and piled up a mammoth 296 for the loss of six wickets in the allotted 50 overs and then they dismissed Pakistan for 284 off 48.5 overs.Pacer Suranga Lakmal captured two wickets instead of 65 runs while Angelo Mathews, Sachitra Senanayake, PC de Silva took one wicket apiece.Pakistan had a poor start as they lost their first wicket for 28 runs.Then Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez repaired the early damage adding together 49 runs in the second wicket stand before Shehzad was cleanly bowled out by PC de Silva when Pakistan’s score was 77 for the loss of two wickets.Later, Captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal built another notable partnership. They added 121 runs in the fifth wicket stand before Umar Akmal was caught behind by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara when Pakistan’s score was 242 for the loss of five wickets. Umar Akmal knocked a splendid 74 from 73 balls featuring seven boundaries and three over boundaries while Misbah-ul-Haq hit a captain’s knock of 73 off 84 balls with four fours and two sixes.Earlier, Sri Lanka made a meager start losing their first wicket for 28 runs.Then, Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara rescued their team from early debacle contributing together 161 runs for the second wicket partnership before Kumar Sangakkara was caught at the midwicket by Ahmed Shehzad off Omar Gul when Sri Lanka’s score was 189 for the loss of two wickets. Opener Lahiru Thirimanne hit a marvelous 102. His 110-ball innings was laced with 11 fours and a sixer. Thirimanne reached his second ODI century playing 107 deliveries. Thirimanne was cleanly bowled out by Saeed Ajmal when Sri Lanka’s total was 204 for the loss of three wickets.Wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara knocked a superb 67 from 65 balls with eight boundaries. It was Sangakkara’s 84th ODI half century. Sangakkara reached his fifty-run landmark playing exact fifty balls.Skipper Angelo Mathews remained unbeaten with 55. His 50-ball knock was ornamented with five fours and a sixer. Mathews fulfilled his 18th ODI half century using 48 balls.Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi bagged a pair of wickets each at the cost of 38 and 46 runs respectively. Besides, Saeed Ajmal took one wicket for 15 runs.
