Sri Lanka still in the hunt Rick Eyre - 27 March 1999 CricInfo report

Sri Lanka have kept their hopes of a finals berth alive in the Pepsi Cup following their twelve run victory over Pakistan at Indira Priyadarshini Stadium, Vishakapatnam, yesterday. The margin of victory would have been much greater if it were not for a brilliant 79 by Wasim Akram late in the Pakistan innings.

In very hot conditions, Arjuna Ranatunga won the toss and decided to bat. Sri Lanka scored 65 runs in the first fifteen-over field restrictions for the loss of Avishka Gunawardene, before an excellent spell by Azhar Mahmood saw three wickets fall. Atapattu's dismissal for 25 was shortly followed by Aravinda de Silva (9) and Arjuna Ranatunga (0) from successive deliveries.

Hashan Tillakaratne joined Mahela Jayawardene to lift Sri Lanka from 86 for 4 to 156 for 5. Tillakaratne (25) became Azhar Mahmood's fourth victim, the Pakistani all-rounder finishing his ten over spell with 4/40. Upul Chandana made 35 including three sixes, all off the bowling of off-spinner Arshad Khan. Arshad's nine overs cost 62 runs.

Jayawardene completed his second ODI hundred in the 48th over of the innings with a single off Wasim Akram, but was run out after adding just one more run. He had faced 138 deliveries in scoring his 101, including fifteen boundaries. When the innings ended nearly half an hour late in intense heat, Sri Lanka had scored 253 for 8 - a better score than they could have perhaps expected with the senior batsmen failing to contribute.

Pakistan were docked two overs by match referee Cammie Smith for their slow over rate and needed to score the 254 runs for victory in just 48 overs.

With Saeed Anwar unable to play because of an eye problem, Imran Nazir came into the Pakistan team for his one-day debut. It was Shahid Afridi who faced the opening over from Pramodya Wickremasinghe, and after three balls without he lofted the ball down the ground for a good catch by Marvan Atapattu. The explosive Pakistan youngster showed yet again why his career average is a mere 24.71. Imran Nazir's ODI debut came to grief in Wickremasinghe's next over, pulling to square leg for Chandana to take a sharp catch stretching to his right. Nazir made two.

Ijaz Ahmed (12), Inzamam ul-Haq (16), Yousuf Youhana (21) and Moin Khan (16) failed to build a score and Pakistan found themselves in deep trouble at 100 for 6 at the end of the 26th over.

Wasim Akram, wicketless when Sri Lanka were batting, came to the crease. Clearly not intimidated by a required run rate of 7 for 21 overs, Akram clubbed sixes off Chandana, Kalpage and Boteju (two) in an innings of 79, his sixth half-century in 258 ODI's (but still short of his one-day best of 86). His fifty came from 43 balls and his complete 79 from 60. He was dismissed when he lofted Aravinda de Silva to Chandana at deep mid wicket.

Solid support from Azhar Mahmood (37) and Saqlain Mushtaq (25*) ensured that the required run rate stayed consistently around 7, but once Akram was gone the tail was exposed, Arshad Khan (5) and Shoaib Akhtar (2) removed quickly. In the end Pakistan were stranded 13 runs short of their target with nine balls to face. Pakistan were all out for 241 in 46.3 overs.

Wickremasinghe (3/34 from nine overs), Upashantha (1/40 from ten) and de Silva (2/26 from 6.3) were the best Sri Lankan bowlers, but it was some poor shot making by some of the senior Pakistan batsmen that cost them the game. Mahela Jayawardene, surely one of Sri Lanka's star players into the next millenium, was awarded man of the match.