Cricket: Mohammad Wasim Jr shines as Pakistan clinch 3-0 whitewash series victory over Sri Lanka
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
Pakistan secure victory amid growing security concerns
Pakistan extended their solid run of form in limited-overs cricket on Sunday afternoon when they secured a 3-0 series sweep over Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, while also confirming our cricket predictions for this game.
The Shaheens beat South Africa 2-1 in their T20I and ODI series between mid-October and the start of November, and proved too good for the Lions in this series, capped off with a six-wicket victory and 32 balls to spare in their third and final ODI this weekend.
Sri Lanka got off to a solid start with Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara producing an opening stand of 55 runs in eight overs, but after the opening pair were dismissed, wickets fell at regular intervals in the visitors' middle order before they were bundled out for 211 in the 46th over.
Mohammad Wasim Jr delivered a Player of the Match performance, bagging 3/47 in his 10 overs, including the scalps of Mishara, Kusal Mendis and Jeffrey Vandersay. He has now taken 41 wickets in 25 ODIs for the Green Shirts.
In response, Haseebullah Khan fell without troubling the scoring, but Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam got the home side to 82 runs in the 16th over, before Mohammad Rizwan strode to the crease and played a classy knock of 61* in 92 deliveries to see his side over the line.
Despite the incredible performance of Pakistan, the series marked another major low for cricket in the country after a suicide bombing in Islamabad following the first ODI forced the series schedule to be reshuffled.
Pakistan A beat India A to advance to Asia Cup Rising Stars semi-final
Not only was it a successful weekend for the Pakistan senior side, but their A team also pulled off an impressive victory, beating India A by eight wickets to secure their place in the semi-finals of the ongoing Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has been on an absolute tear since bursting onto the scene at the Indian Premier League earlier this year, top-scored for India with 45 runs off just 28 deliveries, but he struggled for support and saw his side bowled out for just 139 in the 19th over.
Maaz Sadaqat turned into the match-winner for the Shaheens, picking up the wickets of Jitesh Sharma and Nehal Wadhera before blasting a 31-ball half-century en route to 79* with the bat. He saw his side to victory in the 14th over with eight wickets still intact.
The Pakistan Shaheens will clinch top spot in the group stage of the competition if they defeat the United Arab Emirates in their final match on Tuesday morning, while India have to beat Oman later the same day to guarantee a top-two finish.
