asia cup 2012- Pakistan put one foot in the final

aiaz ceema

Pakistan put one foot in the final of the Asia Cup after their 6wicket win over Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. There was a bonus point earned too as they reached the 189-run target in 39.5 overs.

The result also puts the Lankans in a very difficult position as this was their second successive defeat after the 50-run loss to India. Pakistan are at the other higher end of the scale with their second win.

This was all put in place through Pakistan's new-found discipline, both with bat and the ball. First it was Aizaz Cheema's two-wicket burst that got Pakistan going after Tillekaratne Dilshan made a blistering start with four boundaries. But Cheema removed the openers and Younis Khan took Dinesh Chandimal out of the equation with a brilliant catch at slip.

Kumar Sangakkara was at the other end watching this mayhem, but stayed calm to put together a 96-run fifth wicket stand with Upul Tharanga, who hit his third fifty as a No 6 batsman. The senior pro too hammered a half-century, finishing with 71 off 92 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six, his 71st half-century in this format

Cheema took the wicket of Sangakkara to pick up his second four-wicket haul in ODI cricket but one would imagine that without the contribution of Saeed Ajmal, the Lankans could have made a comeback. But it was the off-spinner's doosra that stopped the threatening stand when it went through Tharanga's prolonged defenses after he had completed a 25th ODI fifty. The dangerous Farveez Maharoof too was an Ajmal victim before he rounded off the Sri Lankan innings in the 46th over.

As the chase began, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara kept Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez honest. Suranga Lakmal reaped their rewards by picking up the left-handed opener and Younis while leggie Seekugge Prasanna taking the wicket of Hafeez to reduce them to 33 for three in the thirteenth over.

But Misbah Ul Haq and Umar Akmal stabilized the innings as they slowly rebuilt the chase. They put together 152 runs for the fourth wicket with both batsmen reaching half-centuries, though of contrasting nature.

Misbah was at his best, batting with a lot of caution and letting the younger man take more of the attack. Akmal batted properly for most of the innings, hammering the loose balls available at every opportunity.

With four runs required for victory, Akmal got out for 77 off 72 balls with the help of seven fours and two sixes. The Pakistan skipper was unbeaten on 72 off 93 balls with nine boundaries and a six as Hammad Azam finished up the win with a brash hit to the long-off fence.