Sandaru and Methuka's efforts go in vain
ThePapareNews article
Pakistan secured a five-wicket win in the third match between Sri Lanka Under-17 and Pakistan Under-17, which concluded today (19) as part of the five-match one-day series between the two nations.
With that, the hosts also moved ahead 2-1 in the matches completed in the series so far.
Winning the toss in the match played at the Multan Cricket Stadium, the Sri Lankan captain opted to bat first and his side were bowled out for 159, while Pakistan, in reply, reached the target with 49 balls to spare for the loss of only five wickets.
For this match, Sri Lanka brought in Shanon Silva and Chenul Hatharasinghe in place of Yenula Hewawitharana and Thisanga Perera, who had played the previous match, while Pakistan included Hassan Ali in place of Mohammad Ihsaan.
Sri Lanka Under-17 team
Stevon Peiris (captain and wicketkeeper), Methuka Gunaratne, Shanon Silva, Reshon Solomons, Chenuka Dodangoda, Sashith Bandara, Sandaru Malshan, Adeesha Lakshan, Mahiru Kodituwakku, Chenul Hatharasinghe and Tharuka Samanjith.
Pakistan Under-17 team
Azan Ahmed (captain), Sudais Ahmed, Daud Tauqeer Rana, Mohammad Yousaf, Mohammad Naveed, Hamid Raza, Arsalan Hassan (wicketkeeper), Fahad Iqbal, Ammar Khan, Mohammad Saim and Hassan Ali.
Batting first, Sri Lanka's top scorer was vice-captain Sandaru Malshan, who came in in the middle order. He faced 63 balls and made 52 runs with 5 fours.
In addition, opening batter Methuka Gunaratne faced 73 balls and scored 49 runs with 4 fours. He missed his second half-century of the series by a single run today. He had scored 77 in the opening match, which Sri Lanka won.
Besides those two, Chenuka Dodangoda faced 25 balls and made 14 runs with a four, while Chenul Hatharasinghe was unbeaten on 13 off 48 balls with a four when the innings ended.
Every other batter was restricted to a single-figure score, with Fahad Iqbal recording the best bowling figures of the innings by taking 3 wickets for 34 runs. In addition, Daud Tauqeer Rana and Ammar Khan claimed two wickets each, while Hassan Ali and Mohammad Saim took one apiece.
Pakistan's top scorer in their reply was captain Azan Ahmed. He was unbeaten on 63 off 94 balls with 4 fours as his side completed the win.
In addition, Mohammad Yousaf faced 19 balls and made 22 runs with 3 fours and a six, while Mohammad Naveed scored 20 off 59 balls with a four.
Apart from them, Sudais Ahmed and Daud Tauqeer Rana gave Pakistan a successful start. Daud Tauqeer Rana made 18 off 28 balls with 3 fours, while Sudais Ahmed scored 16 off 17 balls with 3 fours.
With the ball, Adeesha Lakshan recorded the best figures of the innings with 2 wickets for 34 runs, while Sashith Bandara, Chenul Hatharasinghe and Mahiru Kodituwakku took a wicket each.
Match summary scorecard
- Sri Lanka Under-17 – 159 all out (44.0) Methuka Gunaratne 49, Sandaru Malshan 52, Fahad Iqbal 3/34, Daud Tauqeer Rana 2/10, Ammar Khan 2/31
- Pakistan Under-17 – 160 for 5 (41.5) Mohammad Yousaf 22, Azan Ahmed 63 not out, Mohammad Naveed 20, Adeesha Lakshan 2/34
Pakistan Under-17 won by 5 wickets.
Player of the Match – Azan Ahmed (Pakistan)
The fourth one-day match between the two sides is scheduled to be played in Multan on the 21st of this month.
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Based on ThePapare reporting