Sri Lanka restore pride with a massive win in the final ODI

Dilshan went past 10.000 ODI runs today

Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 165 runs in the final ODI at Hambantota to end the series on a winning note. Pakistan already wrapped up the series when they won the 4^th ODI and thus completed a double as they also won the Test series earlier.

Angelo Mathews won the toss and had elected to bat first on a good looking wicket. Sri Lanka made a bold statement by dropping Lasith Malinga from the playing XI and replaced him with Lahiru Gamage. Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan began cautiously in the initial overs before turning on the heat.

They put on more than 100 runs for the opening wicket and Dilshan during the course of his knock became only the 4^th Sri Lankan and the 11^th overall to go past 10.000 ODI runs. He was run out for 62, but Perera kept going at the other end.

He reached his second ODI hundred off just 90 deliveries and finally fell for 116. But the onslaught just did not stop as the skipper Mathews strode into the middle and took the attack to the opposition by plundering an unbeaten 70 off just 40 deliveries thus leading his side to a total of 368 for the loss of 4 wickets. Three bowlers conceded more than 70 runs.

Pakistan were never in the hunt during the run chase as Ahmed Shehzad found it hard to score during the first 10 overs. The in-form Hafeez threatened for a while with some delightful strokes, but couldn't make more than 37 runs.

Off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up 3 wickets for 39 runs. Sri Lanka will now have to recover from this series quickly as they will be hosting India for 3 Test matches in a few days time.