Pakistan thrash Sri Lanka in first ODI

Pakistan thrashed Sri Lanka by eight wickets with plenty of overs to spare in the opening day-night one-day international at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Shahid Afridi made a spectacular return to the game he quit just a few months earlier by grabbing three wickets to send Sri Lanka crashing to 131 in 40.3 overs which is the lowest total in seven one-day matches in Dubai.

The previous lowest at this venue was 168 all out by Australia also against Pakistan in 2009.

Pakistan reached the target in the 22nd over to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

They lost opener Muhammad Hafeez in the second over when he holed out to Kosala Kulasekera off Suranga Lakmal before the interval.

But a second wicket stand of 115 in 18.5 overs between left hander Imran Farhat and former skipper Younis Khan took the match out of Sri Lanka's reach.

Farhat departed with Pakistan just needing 17 runs for victory being trapped leg before by Lakmal. The left hand opener cracked seven boundaries in his knock of 50 which came off just 65 balls while Khan remained unbeaten on a run a ball 56 which contained seven hits to the ropes.

Lakmal returned figures of two for 16 bowling four overs.

Afridi, who retired from international cricket in protest over being sacked as one-day captain and only took back his decision last month, triggered the Sri Lanka's collapse to finish with three for 27.

He led the Pakistan spin attack which shared seven wickets between them as the Sri Lankan batsman struggled on a slow paced wicket after Tillakaratne Dilshan won the toss and decided to bat.

Dinesh Chandimal top-scored with 28 while opener Tharanga Paranavitna (25) and Mahela Jayawardene (24) were other notable scorers as Afridi, along with off-spinners Saeed Ajmal (2-21) and Mohammad Hafeez (2-24) bundled Sri Lanka out half an hour before the scheduled interval.

Afridi making a comeback after retiring abruptly from the sport after the West Indies tour, pegged back the Sri Lanka batsmen after coming on in the 20th over of the innings.

The leg spinner struck with his fifth ball by trapping Dinesh Chandimal leg before having been hit for a massive six in the previous delivery.

Bowling in tandem with off spiners Hafeez and Ajmal, Afridi wrapped up the Sri Lankan innings by bowling Lasith Malinga who had clubbed him for a six earlier.

He also had Seekkuge Prasanna stumped by Sarfraz Ahmed.

Dilshan was the first to go with just 12 on the board, playing over a delivery from Aizaz Cheema which disturbed his off stump.

The first 10 overs yielded just 34 runs as Umar Gul and Cheema bowled with plenty of fire on an even-paced wicket.

Upul Tharanga, recalled to the side after having served a suspension for a doping offence, survived being bowled off a free hit delivery by Gul.

But the in-form Kumar Sangakkara fell to a low catch behind by Sarfraz Ahmed in Abdul Razzaq's first over after making five off 24 balls.

Dinesh Chandimal brought some life to the Sri Lankans innings with a positive approach to the delight of a 20,000 plus holiday crowd which had thronged the stadium.

Chandimal hit the first six of the match when he sent an Abdul Razzaq delivery sailing over mid on.

Sri Lanka lost their third wicket with the total on 66 in the 18th over when Tharanga holed out Cheema at mid on off spinner Muhammed Hafeez having made 25 off 56 balls with two boundaries.

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi making a return after coming out of retirement, was hit in similar fashion by Chandimal when Pakistan introduced an all-spin attack in the 20th over.

But Afridi got his revenge in the next delivery trapping him leg before with Chandimal playing tentatively on the backfoot. His breezy knock of 28 of 31 balls contained a boundary and two sixes.

Mahela Jayawardena survived a close appeal for leg before wicket by Afridi whose referral was unsuccesful in the 24th over.

Angelo Mathews joined Jayawardena to take the Sri Lankan total past the 100-mark in the 28th over.

But attempting a single after flicking to square leg, Mathews failed to make his after being sent back by Jayawardene for Sri Lanka to stumbled to 104 for five. Jayawardene made 24 off 57 deliveries.

Debutant Kosala Kulasekera did not last long miscuing a drive to Gul off Hafeez.

Jayawardene took the batting powerplay but any hopes Sri Lanka had of posting a competitive total ended when the former skipper was scooped up at short fine leg by Razzaq off Ajmal in the 38th over.

Prasanna and Suranga Lakmal were both stumped attempting ambitious shots while Afridi wrapped up the tail by castling Malinga.

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