Malik, Yousuf set up important win

Pakistan 302 for 9 (Malik 128, Yousuf 87, Nehra 4-55) beat India 248 (Dravid 76, Gambhir 57, Ajmal 2-31, Afridi 2-39) by 54 runs.

It was a vintage Pakistan show. The near relic formula of doubling the 30-over score worked for them, as Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf accelerated from 139 for 3 after 31 overs to score 163 in the last 19. Then the ugly side of Pakistan emerged: their pace bowlers gave away 31 runs in no-balls and free hits during India's chase. Yet they opportunistically converted two run-out chances to end up comfortable winners of a contest that stayed tense for at least 40 overs of the second innings. For the best part of the day, it seemed another classic would be added to the long list of classics played between India and Pakistan. Coming face to face for the first time in close to a year and a half, the two teams matched each other blow for blow for 90 overs, in terms of play both inspirational and ordinary. In the end, though, India made one mistake too many, and as is often the case with these high-pressure matches it was the mistakes that counted. Harbhajan Singh would wish this day had never happened: he failed to cover for a low-on-confidence pace attack, giving away 71 runs for one wicket (he now has 10 wickets in 15 ODIs against Pakistan), and then ran Rahul Dravid out in what was the final turning point of the match. A valiant Dravid had kept the chase alive, and despite a regular fall of wickets India needed 67 runs in 49 balls when he was called for a non-existent third and was left stranded. The slower bowlers proved to be the difference on a day that the faster men - barring Ashish Nehra and Mohammad Aamer - refused to learn from their mistakes. India's two spinners, Harbhajan and Yusuf Pathan, went for 127 in their 20 overs and took two wickets, while Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal combined to take four wickets for 70 runs in their 18.5 overs. That despite the dew troubling them in the later half of their efforts.

What now seems like a long time ago, the stage was set for Harbhajan to come on and take charge of a remarkable comeback by the Indian bowlers after they had been carted for 51 runs in the first seven overs. At 65 for 3 after 15, though, MS Dhoni delayed the introduction of Harbhajan, and tried to get through some cheap overs from the part-timers. He needed all the cheap overs he could get from them because one of his main bowlers, RP Singh, was completely off tune (Dhoni later said it felt like he was three bowlers short). At that time, Malik looked like going nowhere. His score at various stages of the innings read 3 off 16, 10 off 31, and then 34 off 69. But during that period he didn't throw it away, and was set by the time Harbhajan arrived. At the other end, Yousuf was his usual silken self, reaching 35 off 45 almost unnoticed, having hit just one boundary, that too off a rank long hop from Virat Kohli. And then Yousuf signalled intent, not with a big winding shot, but with a deft late cut off Yusuf Pathan in the 32nd over. Malik followed suit, and guided Harbhajan to the third-man boundary in the next over. In the over after that both Yousuf and Malik cut Pathan for boundaries, and suddenly the Indian bowlers started getting rattled. They made complete mockery of the view that middle overs in ODIs have become formulaic and boring. Even without looking to hit powerful shots, the two just milked the bowlers with ease. Malik became severe, welcoming Ishant Sharma back with three boundaries in one over. Dhoni then brought RP into the attack and he went for back-to-back boundaries against Malik, who had started toying with the unimaginative bowling, going over extra cover, beating third man on both sides, and also hitting the odd straight shot. Yousuf was not exactly slow at the other end, his boundaries through point and over extra cover, both off RP, were a treat to watch. Their 206-run stand took just 188 legal deliveries and broke their own record for the fourth wicket against India. While Yousuf missed his century by 13 runs, Malik went on to get his first ton since last year's Asia Cup. Four of his seven centuries have come against India, and his average of 52.24 against them is a stark contrast to his 35.27 overall. He also crossed 5000 ODI runs during the innings, 1515 of which have come against his favourite opposition. Following Pakistan's relentless accumulation, a charged-up Gautam Gambhir gave India's innings a sensational start, but his first error, a lazy bit of running, hurt the chase about as much as it had helped it. His 46-ball 57 had taken India to 90 for 1 in the 14th over, when Dravid hit firmly to a close mid-off, called Gambhir for a single and sent him back. Gambhir didn't make a desperate effort to dive or sprint back, and was undone by a direct-hit from Younis Khan. Replays showed a dive might have saved his wicket. All the way back Gambhir kept admonishing himself for leaving the job unfinished. After two quick wickets fell to Shahid Afridi, Suresh Raina launched a stunning assault, hurting Pakistan's spinners who by now had started having trouble gripping the ball. The 72-run fifth-wicket stand between Dravid and Raina, who scored 46 off 41, was interrupted by a fast yorker from Ajmal that hit Raina in front of his stumps. The situation was still under India's control, with 98 runs required in 15 overs, and the Powerplay yet to be utilised. Pathan then played an insensible shot to Aamer, edging a big heave to wide slip, and then Dravid was run out for 76, swinging the match irreversibly Pakistan's way.

Pakistan hold nerve in low-scoring Match

Pakistan 134 for 5 (Umar Akmal 41*, Tonge 4-25) beat West Indies 133 (Miller 51, Aamer 3-24, Gul 3-28) by five wickets.

Pakistan tripped and stumbled and chased with the assurance of sleepwalkers, but ultimately a superior fast-bowling attack and depth in batting sealed them a low-scoring showdown. A fine bowling performance where wickets were shared all around ensured a woefully inexperienced West Indies were bowled out for an unthreatening 133 after they opted to bat. Pakistan's batting has floundered repeatedly this year and today they nearly lost it, bewildered by Gavin Tonge's four-wicket haul, before Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi added 58 to finish the deal. This match as a contest ended well before Pakistan could come out to bat. Floyd Reifer had spoken of the importance of this tournament for fans in the Caribbean, and vowed at the toss that his team would play "the best cricket possible". What followed was anything but, as a combination of accurate fast bowling and not-so-clever batting decided the direction of this match. Afridi, captaining Pakistan for the first time in ODIs, had said after losing the toss that he would have fielded first on a surface he reckoned had a bit in it for his bowlers. He was spot on, and Pakistan's trio of fast bowlers exploited whatever juice there was. There were no magic deliveries or exaggerated reverse swing, just good old line and length but that proved sufficient for an inept line-up. The professionals stuck to the basics: Mohammad Aamer found a bit of seam movement, Naved-ul-Hasan swung it gently and varied his pace, and Umar Gul hit the deck hard to apply the chokehold. At one point it looked as though the game would be finished before the lights came on. West Indies' woes started in the first over, when Dale Richards spooned a return catch to Aamer. Andre Fletcher found it wasn't easy slogging Naved and when he got one that wasn't full enough to stab at, he scooped to backward point. Aamer got Travis Dowlin for 0, trying to cut one that was too full. With the batsmen uneasy defending and playing off the back foot, Aamer settled for back of a length and beat the bat numerous times. Naved found movement when he pitched it up and the slips were kept interested. He hit a tidy line with the new ball and cleverly changed his pace, conceding just 12 off his first five overs. Gul took a few deliveries to find his length, and when he changed his angle to around the stumps he immediately had Devon Smith - the most experienced batsman - lobbing a sharp, rising delivery to second slip. West Indies went from deep trouble to catastrophe in a matter of minutes when Aamer changed ends after a break and ripped one through David Bernard, and Gul nipped out Reifer and Chadwick Walton off successive deliveries. Gul was the pick of the lot, finding a superb line and getting the ball to sit up sharply. Had it not been for some enthusiastic hitting from Nikita Miller, West Indies may have folded for their second lowest score ever. Miller, beginning shakily but gaining in confidence with three boundaries off Saeed Ajmal's second over, showed a technique and temperament that his batting team-mates so desperately lacked. He was last out for 51 off 57 balls as West Indies collapsed in 34.3 overs. A target of 134 was easily going to be in Pakistan's range, but they still managed to make it a tough chase. The openers, with ten overs to negotiate before the lunch break, took the frenzied approach and paid for it. Tonge set the tone for a very good evening by bowling Imran Nazir with a full ball in a wicket-maiden opening over, and then undid Kamran Akmal for seam and carry. Tonge understood the virtue of pitching the ball up, yet also got it to bite off the pitch on more than one occasion. He smacked Mohammad Yousuf in the ribs and should have had him on 1 but Darren Sammy erred at second slip. Tonge bowled a very consistent line, showing an aptitude to test the batsmen by pitching it up; Shoaib Malik was drawn into a fatal drive. Tonge's length was immaculate and Yousuf's was the only wicket he got off a shorter length. Otherwise his variation was generally full or on a good length. At 76 for 5, after Misbah-ul-Haq edged Bernard, the match could have swung either way. Umar's entrance brought some stability to the proceedings and with Afridi, calmed nerves and sealed victory. Umar displayed the virtues required to negate the pressure and turn the heat back on the fielders, backing himself to go over the top. Even a severe rap from a Tino Best beamer didn't deter young Umar from finishing the job. West Indies displayed remarkable fight, but were a few runs short as Pakistan crossed the finish line in the 31st over.

PCB expecting US$18 million from World Cup deal

The PCB expects total returns amounting to US$18 million out of its agreement with the ICC over the staging of the 2011 World Cup. The ICC and the PCB, on August 27, resolved the dispute during a meeting between the ICC president David Morgan and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt in Dubai. It was decided that Pakistan would retain its hosting fee of US$ 10.5 million and receive an additional payment as compensation for losing the rights to host the tournament. "At the moment the figure is around rupees 1 billion (US$12 million) but I hope it could go up to rupees 1.5 billion (US$ 18 million) by the time World Cup begins in 2011," Butt told reporters upon his return to Lahore. Pakistan was stripped of its rights to host the 2011 World Cup in the aftermath of the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March. The World Cup Secretariat, the organising body of the tournament, was also moved to Mumbai from Lahore and Pakistan's share of the matches was allocated to the three other co-hosts, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. "We feel that this was the best possible solution and we will get additional amount and would not be forced to beg around for money to keep our cricket on track," Butt said of the agreement. "It's a confidential document which we both (ICC and PCB) signed, but I can tell you that much that I hope the total earnings of PCB might go up to rupees 1.5 billion." As a result of the resolution of the dispute, Butt said that the PCB would withdraw all its legal cases against the ICC. "Within the next 15 days the PCB will withdraw all its legal cases against the ICC," he said. Butt added that he and two of his PCB colleagues - Wasim Bari, the PCB Director for Human Resources, and Suban Ahmed, the General Manager for International Cricket Affairs - will attend the meeting of the tournament's Central Organising Committee on September 2 in Mumbai. Pakistan, he said, would not be nominating any member to the secretariat. "The reason is it will be expensive for us to have our people in the secretariat when it is based in Mumbai and not Lahore," he said. "But we will be part of the Central Organising Committee."

Pakistan Champions Trophy Squad Announced

Champions Trophy squad for Pakistan is announced by Pakistan Cricket Board leaving experienced all-rounder Abdul Razzaq out. According to the sources it was a very big challenge for the new selected selection committee. They had to make very tough decisions for selecting 15 man squad for the champions trophy. All-Rounder Abdul Razzaq was a tough ask to be left out, they also had to decide about the Master Batsman Mohammed Yousuf due to his poor form in the recent series against the Sri Lanka. It was a tough decision to pick suitable opener among three top rated openers in the domestic circle which include Imran Nazir, Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed. And at the end its Imran Nazir who wins the race. Pakistan Squad For The Champions Trophy Includes: Younis Khan (capt), Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Naved-ul Hasan, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Rao Iftikhar, Saeed Ajmal.

Asif Returns And Rzzaq Out For Champions Trophy

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammed Asif's rehabilitation is almost complete after he was named in the Pakistan squad for the Champions Trophy, having been out of international cricket for over a year. Asif is one of five pacemen for the tournament, but there is no place for allrounder Abdul Razzaq, who took four wickets from three matches on his comeback to ODI cricket in Sri Lanka earlier this month. Razzaq was, however, dropped for the last two games. Opener Nasir Jamshed, who was part of the ODI squad in Sri Lanka, has also been excluded.

"Asif is back after he satisfied with his fitness and this is the best possible team for an event which is regarded as the toughest of all the events as the world's top eight teams compete in it," Iqbal Qasim, Pakistan's chief selector, told reporters in Lahore. Razzaq's exclusion, mildly surprising given his impact at the World Twenty20 in June on his return from an ICL-exile is believed to be a tactical one; given a long, solid middle order, Pakistan prefer a bowling allrounder at number eight, rather than a batting one. "We had a tie between Razzaq and Naved-ul Hasan when it came to selecting an allrounder, so the best one was picked," Qasim said. "It was not a case of Razzaq not performing well."

It is the return of Asif, however, that will make the headlines. The fast bowler last played for Pakistan in July last year; he was banned by the Pakistan board soon after in September after testing positive for the banned substance nandrolone at the inaugural IPL. The ban ends on September 22, and the ICC has cleared him to play in the eight-team that starts on the same day in Johannesburg.

After being included in the 30 probables for that tournament, Asif attended an Under-23 training camp in Karachi to assess his match fitness. He took 1 for 23 in a practice match during that camp, impressing Rashid Latif, who was overseeing the camp. But despite his selection, Asif can't take part in Pakistan's conditioning camp leading up to the Champions Trophy because his ban expires after the camp finishes.

Pakistan's squad has only one specialist opener in Imran Nazir, who only returned to the side in Sri Lanka after leaving the ICL; alongside Jamshed, Salman Butt also doesn't find a place in the squad. Until Sri Lanka, Butt was Pakistan's one steady opener, with eight ODI hundreds to his name, but an alarming dip in form and confidence during the tour has done for him.

Many eyes will be on Umar Akmal, wicketkeeper Kamran's 19-year-old brother, who made such an impact in Sri Lanka and was Pakistan's highest scorer in that series.

BOOM BOOM Afridi Shines As Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka

Pakistan 172 for 5 (Afridi 50, Nazir 40) beat Sri Lanka 120 (Sangakkara 38, Ajmal 3-18, Naved 3-19) by 52 runs Pakistan will want to take the Premadasa Stadium with them wherever they go. After groping in the dark for the better part of the tour, they finally struck gold when they landed here for the last two one-dayers and tonight they signed off in style with a comprehensive 52-run win in the one-off Twenty20 game. It was touted as a rematch of the World Twenty20 final in June but Sri Lanka failed to even the score. Their nemesis at Lord's - Shahid Afridi - stood in their way again with an exact 50, a tight spell and a run-out on his debut as Pakistan captain.

Though Afridi deserved a large portion of credit, the win was sealed by a collective effort from his team. After losing a wicket off the first ball, Imran Nazir gave the early impetus with an aggressive 40, Umar Akmal and Afridi put on a steady 66 in the middle overs and Naved-ul-Hasan and Saeed Ajmal derailed Sri Lanka's chase.

Pakistan's strategy was clear from the outset - step out and whack. The difficulties the home batsmen faced under lights in the two ODIs didn't deter Pakistan's top order as they regularly went down the track to smother the slightest hint of seam movement. Kamran Akmal's first-ball dismissal turned out to be no more than a scare as Pakistan stuck to their gameplan.

Afridi wasn't very convincing at the start of his innings, slashing and swishing at deliveries far too early. He also survived a very confident shout for lbw off Muttiah Muralitharan, with the ball appearing to turn enough to clip the leg stump. As he got his eye in, though, the shots flew off his bat. He chipped down the track to Murali and carved them inside out over extra cover but the shot of the evening was a stylish one-legged whip off Malinga that cleared the deep midwicket boundary.

There was a bit of drama in between when he claimed an overthrow after the throw from Mahela Jayawardene deflected off his body. Tempers flared for a few seconds but, unlike what happened between Younis Khan and Kumar Sangakkara in the fifth ODI, the issue was quickly settled.

Umar too carried on from where he left off in the one-dayers, using his feet to clear the infield. His stand with Afridi yielded 66 in a little more than seven overs but he fell off a tame top edge while attempting a cheeky paddle off Angelo Mathews.

Afridi fell shortly after getting to his third consecutive fifty in Twenty20s, failing to clear Kulasekara at long-off. Abdul Razzaq then finished the innings with a cameo and Pakistan appeared at that stage that they had enough to push the Sri Lankans once more.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Udawatte began the chase at a rate of nearly ten an over. Jayasuriya entertained in typical fashion with his trademark flicks but failed to put away a short delivery off Mohammad Aamer, miscuing him to fine leg. Udawatte failed to make the most of his recall, trapped lbw off Naved-ul-Hasan though he was a trifle unlucky as the ball pitched fractionally outside leg.

The middle order's failure to contribute hurt them once more. Sangakkara and Jayawardene entertained, albeit briefly, with almost nonchalant shots over the ropes but they failed to put together that one big partnership to nail the chase. The pressure was on because the boundaries were few and far between. Sri Lanka managed just six fours, while Pakistan hit 19.

Afridi rushed through his overs, denying the batsmen too much room. When Jayawardene backed away to push the ball into the gaps, Afridi slipped in the googly and cramped him up. He conceded 21 runs and bagged the wicket of Chamara Kapugedera, well caught at midwicket by Naved.

The most incisive bowler was Ajmal, who bagged three wickets. In contrast to Afridi, he was much slower through the air, making the batsmen reach out for their strokes. Their attempts to take out their frustrations on him led to tame dismissals, like Sangakkara's, sweeping against the turn.

With the specialists gone, Sri Lanka's last hopes rested on Angelo Mathews but he too was sent scampering back by a direct hit from Afridi.

In the end, Sri Lanka's defeat will be analysed through one critical statistic. While Pakistan's fourth wicket added 66, Sri Lanka's last eight managed only 49.

ICC clears Pakistan Players

The ICC has said that its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), on investigation, found "no substance" and "no evidence" to support suggestions that Pakistan players had contact with Indian bookmakers during their tour of Sri Lanka.

"The ICC and its members have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and rightly so because the integrity of our great sport with its great spirit is one of its greatest assets," Haroon Lorgat, ICC chief executive said. "On that basis it is entirely appropriate that any suggestions in relation to that subject are always reported to and properly investigated by the ACSU.

"I am pleased those investigations have indicated nothing untoward has taken place on this occasion but it is a reminder that all of us - players, officials and supporters - must maintain our vigilance to ensure we remain on top of the issue of corruption."

There had been allegations that bookies were seen staying on the same hotel floor as the Pakistan team in Colombo. The Pakistan board subsequently informed the ICC to investigate these allegations and also sought Legal Advice on unsubstantiated accusations by former chief selector Abdul Qadir on the involvement of the players.

Aamer And Rana Shine As Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka

Pakistan 279 for 8 (Younis 76, Misbah 73*) beat Sri Lanka 147 (Aamer 4-28, Naved 4-44) by 132 runs

A hostile Mohammad Aamer and an inconsistent-but-smart Naved-ul-Hasan sent Sri Lanka crashing to what was very nearly their worst-ever ODI defeat at home. Naved earlier gave Pakistan's total a boost with hefty hitting in the final overs, after Pakistan had threatened to let half-centuries from Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq go to waste. Sri Lanka however, took the series having already won the first three matches.

This was also the 10th straight time that a side batting first won at the R Premadasa Stadium. It can't be ascertained if it was just the conditions, but the Pakistan pace bowlers were way better than their Sri Lankan counterparts. Aamer and Naved got more movement, and demonstrated better control and variation.

Aamer set the agenda with the first ball, a brute that injured Upul Tharanga's middle finger. Even if the finger wasn't broken, the spirit was as he played and missed at an away-swinger next. The third ball, short and climbing into Tharanga, duly produced the edge. Even before the returning Sanath Jayasuriya could cause any damage, Naved flummoxed him with a superb slower delivery, putting the onus squarely on Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

They added 35 in 37 deliveries, targeting Naved, before the veteran bowler fooled Sangakkara too with a slower one. Even before Sri Lanka could recover from that blow, Jayawardene edged an angling delivery from Aamer, finishing the match - at 58 for 4 - for all practical purposes.

Aamer and Naved, though, proceeded to take out whatever life remained in the contest. Aamer did away with Chamara Kapugedera and Angelo Mathews in his next two overs, while Naved came back to take out Nuwan Kaulasekara and Dammika Prasad. Kulasekara's dismissal was a splendid effort by Misbah, diving forward at first slip, giving him his third catch of the innings. Aamer finished with a career-best effort and Naved reached 100 wickets in ODIs.

Thilina Kandamby and Malinga Bandara delayed the inevitable, but the record for the highest successful chase at the Premadasa Stadium never really came under threat. That Pakistan got to that total was largely due to the responsible fifties from Younis and Misbah.

After an 83-run stand between Younis and Misbah for the fourth wicket, Pakistan lost three quick wickets, making them reassess the total they aimed for, but Naved's late hitting made sure they felt confident going into the defence.

Throughout their disastrous tour Younis has spoken about the importance of partnerships. Today he was involved in three valuable ones. The first one started after the first ball of the match, when umpire Gamini Silva welcomed back Nuwan Kulasekara by missing a thick inside edge from Kamran Akmal, and giving Sri Lanka a bonus wicket.

Younis was sedate to begin with, enjoying a ferocious start from Iman Nazir from the other end. Nazir, playing his second match since his comeback from the ICL, raced to 35 from 21 balls in the first seven overs, as Prasad's first three overs went for 30. Sangakkara then took a gamble, bringing on Mendis in the eighth over. The Pakistan batsmen have been exceptional in playing Mendis, looking to play him straight as often as possible, but Nazir went to turn the second ball he faced from him to midwicket, paying the price as he was trapped plumb in front.

Younis found the perfect partner in Mohammad Yousuf, who did the majority of the scoring in the 68-run third-wicket partnership. But by the time Yousuf fell for 43, Younis looked set to convert the slow start.

Younis, 13 off 39 at one stage, had started accelerating and along with Misbah, who also started fluently, Younis threatened to take Pakistan past 300. It was a typical Younis knock - a slow start, an increase in the number of singles and doubles in the middle portions, and only a few boundaries. Without a flurry of hits to the fence, Younis got 37 off the next 32 balls he faced, to reach his second fifty in a row.

If Younis was playing an ideal middle-order ODI innings, Misbah at the other end started to mirror him, rotating the strike with ease. His first boundary came off the 25th ball, but he had reached 19 by then. He looked to dominate against the spinners, Jayasuriya and Bandara, getting three boundaries, and by the time the ball was changed after 34 overs, Pakistan had reached 186 for 3. With the slightly newer ball, Sangakkara brought back Prasad.

Younis' fall to a yorker from Prasad was followed by two more quick wickets, at which point Misbah took control and set himself to bat through the innings. He got good support from Naved, who hit two huge sixes and a boundary in the batting Powerplay, also the last five overs of the innings. Naved scored 33 off 29, Pakistan got 46 in the last five, and Misbah finished with an unbeaten 73.

Jayawardene drives Sri Lanka to series win

Sri Lanka 289 for 4 (Jayawardene 123, Tharanga 76) beat Pakistan 288 for 8 (Umar Akmal 66, Kamran Akmal 45) by six wickets

The morning may have belonged to the Akmal brothers and Pakistan, but it was all Sri Lanka in the afternoon, with an imperious century from Mahela Jayawardene central to a commanding six-wicket victory which clinched the series with two games to spare. The pursuit of 289 was made to look like child's play as Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga put on 202 for the first wicket, and not even a brief wobble thereafter could stop Sri Lanka's inexorable progress. Jayawardene's 123, his first hundred since 2007, took only 108 balls, and even cramps failed to curtail the boundary barrage as the bowlers were treated with disdain.

Jayawardene's driving down the ground, and over cover, was majestic, and any shortness in length was ruthlessly punished by the most elegant of pull shots. But for a huge leg-before shout from Shahid Afridi which he survived - the umpire suspecting a bottom edge - Jayawardene made few mistakes, finding the boundaries with elan as the bowling started to fall apart. There was even a cheeky reverse-sweep for four off Saeed Ajmal, as he cruised to his century from only 91 balls.

Tharanga had slowed after getting to his own half-century from 55 balls, content to work the ball around, but there was more than a measure of misfortune about his dismissal, with the Ajmal delivery clearly striking him outside the line of off stump. When Mahela followed, after a tired miscue to cover, Pakistan scented opportunity. And the feel-good factor increased when Thilan Samaraweera played one back to Ajmal off the leading edge.

But Sri Lanka weren't about to squander such a start. Thilina Kandamby and Kumar Sangakkara wrested the initiative back with a slew of boundaries, with Abdul Razzaq proving especially disappointing. Kandamby fell to Mohammad Aamer shortly before victory was clinched, but it was all too easy in the end.

The hard work had been done much earlier, with Tharanga and Jayawardene catching the new-ball bowlers cold. Tharanga led the way with some wonderfully fluid drives through cover, and Jayawardene soon impressed his class on proceedings with some delightful shots in the V. Razzaq could do nothing to control the runs, and when Younis Khan turned to Naved-ul-Hasan, replacing Umar Gul and playing his first match in two-and-a-half years, there was no ebb to the flow.

The pair played every shot in the book, from the paddle sweep, to the muscled heave over midwicket, but it was the drives threaded through the gaps that really caught the eye. Afridi, Pakistan's most consistent one-day bowler in recent times, was also treated with scant respect as the most imposing of platforms was built for the final surge.

Pakistan had done pretty well in that respect earlier in the day, with Umar Akmal carrying on where his brother, Kamran, left off. With Younis, Afridi, Razzaq and Naved contributing meaningful cameos, Pakistan finally had a total that could be defended.

It had started badly, with Nasir Jamshed guiding a Thilan Thushara delivery into the hands of slip, but Kamran and Younis quickly set about restoring parity. Neither Nuwan Kulasekara nor Thushara was allowed to settle, as both men picked the gaps and crashed the ball with impunity. After 56 came from the opening Powerplay, Sangakkara opted for the bustling pace of Dilhara Fernando and the medium pace of Angelo Mathews. And it was Mathews who delivered the breakthrough, tempting Kamran into one off-side flail too many. He had made 45 from 46 balls.

Shoaib Malik was undone by a superb lifter from Fernando, and when Younis succumbed to Thushara's throwing arm while risking a single to mid-on, Pakistan had slumped from 80 for 1 to 107 for 4. Fawad Alam then dawdled to 13 from 33 balls, and with Umar taking time to assess the bowlers, it was left to Afridi to inject urgency into the innings.

Both the impressive Mathews and Muttiah Muralitharan were targeted as Afridi breezed to 32 from 19 balls. But it was Murali who had the last laugh, and a few words, as Afridi missed a straighter one. And the edge on the feel then intensified as Umar moved up a gear, smacking four and a huge straight six off Murali after compiling a maiden half-century from just 59 balls. Murali got his man, going for an encore and though more sweet nothings were exchanged, this was one tussle that the spin maestro hadn't won.

Thanks to Jayawardene and Tharanga though, Sri Lanka won the only contest that mattered.

Shoaib Gets Deeper Into Trouble

Shoaib Akhtar has run into more trouble with the PCB after the board accused him of violating his contract by criticising team management in a television interview.

"Akhtar has been served with a show cause notice as he violated the code of conduct," director of operations at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Zakir Khan, told AFP.

Shoaib was withdrawn from Pakistan's squad for last month's World Twenty20 after being diagnosed with genital warts. He claimed the team management was conspiring against him and slammed the PCB for revealing the nature of his ailment, saying he had considered taking legal action against them.

Under the terms of his central contract, Shoaib is not allowed to give interviews without the PCB's permission or to criticise the team management. He has till July 31 to respond to the notice.

Shoaib is already embroiled in a legal battle over a prior code of conduct violation. In April 2008, he was banned by the PCB for five years after lashing out at the administration on being denied a central contract. The ban was later reduced to 18 months by a PCB-appointed appellate tribunal, though he was also handed a fine of Rs 7 million (around US $84,000). The ban was temporarily suspended when he appealed to the Lahore High Court, and the case resumed in court on Monday.

He has not been a regular member of the Pakistan side of late due to fitness and disciplinary issues. Shoaib was left out of the squad for the Sri Lanka series due to uncertainty over his fitness and he was not considered for the 30-man Champions Trophy pool either.

Domestic setup is flawed - Younis

Pakistan captain Younis Khan has rejected claims that 'groupism' within the team has led to below-par performance during the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka. Instead, the poor structure back home is to blame, Younis said. "The problem with Pakistan cricket is that our domestic structure is flawed," he said.

The visitors lost the three-Test series 0-2 and surrendered the ODI series with a six-wicket defeat - their third consecutive loss in the five-match series - yesterday in Dambulla. "The players produced have flawed techniques," Younis said. "They only manage to overcome it once they start playing for the national team."

Younis said that he faced similar problems as well early in his career. "When I made it into the Pakistan team, my technique was not so good. It took me two years to get it right," he said.

Some experts have blamed the lack of unity in the Pakistan team for its poor showing in Sri Lanka, with some claiming that a few senior players like former captain Shoaib Malik and vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq had intentionally under-performed to cause Younis' downfall.

Younis, however, rejected such claims and said he had an excellent rapport with all his players, including the seniors. "I'm not a mad man. I don't go out fighting with everyone," he said. "I have a perfectly fine relationship with the players."