Rizwan, Fakhar, and Wasim Jr Power Pakistan to Series Clean Sweep Against Lankans
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan, led by captain Shaheen Afridi, completed a dominant 3-0 series whitewash against Sri Lanka after securing victory in the third and final One-Day International (ODI) at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The Green Shirts successfully chased down a target of 212 in the 45th over, ensuring a clean sweep that Afridi attributed to the squad’s depth and rotation policy.
During the post-match presentation, a delighted Shaheen Afridi praised the collective effort of his side, emphasizing that the success of the series, following a previous one against South Africa, demonstrated the readiness of the entire squad.
“Winning the series, really happy for that,” Afridi stated. “Everyone played a good role in the previous series against South Africa and in this one as well. The rotation policy is working well for us, and the entire squad is ready to contribute at any stage.”
The left-arm pacer singled out his bowling unit for their impactful performances. “Faisal bowled really well, and it was great to see Wasim come back after injury and earn his first Player of the Match award. Special mention to Haris Rauf as well,” he added.
Chasing 212, Pakistan’s innings got off to a shaky start when opener Haseebullah Khan was dismissed for a duck off eight balls by Maheesh Theekshana, leaving the team at 8-1 after four overs.
The experienced duo of Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman then stabilized the innings with a crucial 74-run partnership for the second wicket. Fakhar continued his fine form, recording his 19th ODI fifty with a quickfire 55 off 45 balls before being removed by Jeffrey Vandersay.
Vandersay briefly threatened to derail the chase in the 21st over, first dismissing Babar for 34 off 52 balls and then removing Salman Ali Agha for six, leaving Pakistan precariously placed at 101-4.
However, Mohammad Rizwan and Hussain Talat combined to execute a clinical rebuild. The pair forged a crucial 50-run partnership to ease the pressure and then an unbeaten 100-run stand for the fifth wicket. Rizwan remained the anchor, finishing unbeaten on 61 off 92 balls, while Talat’s aggressive 42* helped them comfortably chase down the target in the 45th over.
Earlier, Sri Lanka started steadily with openers Pathum Nissanka (24) and Kamil Mishara putting together a solid partnership. Haris Rauf provided the initial breakthrough, dismissing Nissanka at 55-1. Mohammad Wasim Jr then made his mark, removing Mishara for 29, and later dismissing stand-in captain Kusal Mendis for 34, reducing the visitors to 112-3 in 24.1 overs, a deficit the rest of the batting order could not overcome.
