Sarfraz steers Pakistan into Champions Trophy semis
CARDIFF: Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (61) cracked a gritty unbeaten fifty as Pakistan survived some tense moments before notching up a thrilling threewicket win over Sri Lanka in their must-win Group B match to enter the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy on Monday.
Pakistan will now meet Group A toppers England in the first semifinal on Wednesday at the same venue.
Chasing a modest 237 to win, opener Fakhar Zaman cracked a 36-ball 50 at the top but Pakistan suffered an inexplicable collapse to slip to 162 for seven.
Finally, it was Sarfraz Ahmed, who played a resolute captain’s knock to take Pakistan home. The wicketkeeper-batsman shared 75 runs with Mohammed Amir (28) for the eighth wicket as Pakistan overhauled the target with 31 balls to spare.
Sri Lankan seamers, led by Nuwan Pradeep (three for 60), produced a disciplined bowling performance but some sloppy fielding, which included two drop catches of Sarfraz, cost them the match.
Earlier, Fast bowlers Hasan Ali (three for 43) and Junaid Khan (three for 40) claimed three wickets each, while Amir and Fahim Ashraf accounted for two wickets each to help Pakistan bowl out Sri Lanka for 236 after electing to field.
Opener Niroshan Dickwella (73) and skipper Angelo Mathews (39) added 78 runs for the fourth wicket but Amir and Junaid took two wickets each in the space of 3.2 overs as Sri Lanka lost four wickets for six runs to slip to 167 for seven.
Lower-order batsmen Suranga Lakmal (26) and Asela Gunaratne (27) offered dogged resistance to take Sri Lankan innings close to the 250-run mark. They added 46 crucial runs for the eighth wicket.