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Pakistan pile up 289-6 against Sri Lanka

Gwalior, India, May 12: Pakistan, faced with a do-or-die situ- ation, piled up an imposing 289 for six in the crucial Indepen- dence Cup match against world champions Sri Lanka here on Monday.

Needing a win after losing their opening match to New Zealand in the four-nation event, the Pakistanis took advantage of an easy- paced wicket and a lightening outfield to flay the Sri Lankans.

They began in sensational fashion after winning the toss as Shahid Afridi hit an explosive 52 off 29 balls to make it 74 for no loss by the 10th over. Pakistan appeared to have lost their way when they reached 236 for five by the 45th, but Moin Khan and Mohammad Hussain hammered 53 off the last five overs. Moin Khan remained un- beaten on 23 and Hussain was 17 not out, the pair taking 18 important runs in the final over from Chamin- da Vaas.

Afridi, one-day cricket's fastest centurion, hit nine bound- aries before reaching his half-century with two successive sixes off left-arm seamer Vaas. Afridi and Saeed Anwar hammered 25 off the first three overs and brought up the fifty in the eighth over Afri- di's contribution being 32. Afridi was caught off Sajeewa De Silva by wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana, who also held Anwar (36) off Muttiah Murlitharan to make Pakistan 112 for two in 19 overs.

Ijaz Ahmed (29) and skipper Rameez Raja (49) carried the score to 158 when Roshan Mahanama dived to his right in the covers to hold a brilliant one-handed catch off Ijaz. Muralitharan kept Pak- istan in check by conceding just 39 runs in 10 overs of steady off- spin, but it was left-arm seamer Sajeewa De Silva who broke through the middle-order. He had Raja snapped up at short cover and then bowled the dangerous Inzamam-ul Haq for 22 af- ter the burly batsman had hit Murlitharan for two sixes. Veteran Salim Malik bolstered the lower order with 49, before Moin and Hussain took charge to set Sri Lanka a formidable target.