Afridi seals series for Pakistan

This was an absolute stunner, if ever there was one. From down and out, Pakistan somehow pulled themselves up through an incredibly magical all-round performance by mercurial Shahid Afridi to seal the game and with it the rubber. It was a star performance right from the top drawer – stupendously irresistible even when Afridi is on top of his game. And he had to overcome injury; while fielding that threat of his not bowling was very much there. But this was his day, and he had to make it count. With the willow, Afridi put up 75 when all seemed to have been lost, and with the ball he produced a spell that gave him a five-for when, at 155 for three, the Sri Lankans must have thought it was all over bar the shouting.
With odds stacked against Pakistan, and everything pointing to a fifth-game decider, Afridi had other plans. Those two past masters, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, had already put on 102 for the fourth wicket, and at 155 for three Sri Lanka were coasting towards that lowly Pakistan endeavour of 200. Then Sangakkara was bowled by Afridi, and Saeed Ajmal got Angelo Mathews caught behind on the leg side the very next over. That brought Pakistan roaring back, and with it wickets that were so scarce earlier, coming thick and fast. And once Afridi drew Mahela into a false shot, showing him acres of empty space in the covers and feeding him a loopy one, the writing was on the wall for Sri Lanka.
The tables had been turned, and quite effectively. This victory from nowhere left the Lankans shell-shocked. For the Lankans, it was critical to embark on the flight for back home with some measure of respect restored here. That was not to be. Though Pakistan gave them ample opportunity to seize the initiative early on, and consequently retain almost a whip hand throughout, the finish was denied to Sri Lanka by some superb bowling by the spin quartet late in the day. The upshot is that the Abu Dhabi game is now dead rubber, and the momentum is decidedly with Pakistan. With a mere 200 to chase, Pakistan needed to make early inroads and their quartet of spinners was required to eke out the rest. Though both Umar Gul and Aizaz Cheema bowled spirited opening spells with the former bowling a tight line and giving nothing away, it was Cheema who impressed with his fire. He took out the openers, and it was followed by Mohammad Hafeez getting Dinesh Chandimal in his first over.
Pakistan at that point seemed to be making a fist of it. That cat-amongst-the-pigeons feeling must have been there but Sangakkara, the one thorn in Pakistan’s side this rubber, remained unfazed and in the company of a remarkably composed Jayawardene. From a Pakistan side that has mostly retained the upper hand in both Test and one-day rubbers with one exception, the second one-dayer, this comeback was reflective that the never-say-die spirit may just be coming back. Back on what was once their favourite hunting ground after eight years, with a packed house of partisans egging them on, Pakistan were off to a tentative start, followed by a meltdown in the middle and rejuvenation of sorts through a most sensible Shahid Afridi in a rearguard with Saeed Ajmal. From a dismal 97 for 6, that stand resurrected Pakistan a great deal, taking it to an even 200, providing the endeavour a modicum of respect.
On a pitch that was slowish, it still seemed pitiable and insufficient. In sharp contrast with Dubai, where they had rustled up an impressive 151 for the first wicket, Hafeez and Imran Farhat failed to fire. Farhat particularly seemed to be out of sorts and was soon snared by Fernando with Sangakkara bringing off a neat leg side catch. Hafeez and Younus made an effort to put the innings back together. But then came thick and fast a slew of soft dismissals, and from 57 for 1 it was 71 for five, four for 14 in 8.3 overs. This set Pakistan back – it then seemed irreparably. As the Lankan spin duo of Jeevan Mendis and Seekkuge Prasanna came into its own, Pakistan’s middle order came unstuck. This had happened in the preceding game too, but then the weight of runs that the openers had put and some late surge by Younus Khan and Sohail Tanvir late in the innings, had masked this failing. This time round there was Afridi, but runs at the top were not there. And only if Afridi had not turned in that all-conquering spell the Lankans may have cakewalked to victory. Take a bow, Afridi.