(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali's career best haul (5/34) helped bundle out Sri Lanka for 208 runs inside 50 overs in the crucial third ODI of the series at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
It was an impressive performance by Hasan who responded to captain's call and delivered breakthroughs. He bagged his 50th wicket in 24 matches - the quickest by a Pakistani. Waqar Younis was the previous best.
Earlier, electing to bat, Sri Lanka had a good opening stand. In-form Upul Tharanga caressed Junaid Khan and Rumman Raees for a couple of boundaries. Niroshan Dickwella looked good and the duo got to 50 off 54 balls.
Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed introduced pacer Hasan in the 11th over and he struck immediately. Dickwella was out for 18, his third score of below 20 in the series. Runs almost dried up after the wicket as Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf bowled in tandem with great discipline.
The pressure grew on Lanka as Dinesh Chandimal took a while settling down. And at one point he had made 15 runs off 40 balls.
Shadab, meanwhile, kept asking questions, had a review turned down but finally got Chandimal with a googly. And when he got out, the Test skipper had made 19 off 49 balls with Lanka at 102 from 25 overs.
On current form, Tharanga was their sole hope and the onus was on the skipper to once again carry the bat throughout. However, his valiant innings of 61 was brought to an end by Shadab.
Hasan and Junaid were brought back into attack. New pair of Chamara Kapugedara and Lahiru Thirimanne started off well by rotating the strikes and keeping the scoreboard moving.
However, just as the batsmen got a partnership going, a wicket fell as Hasan caught and bowled Kapugedara. Lanka lost one more as Milinda Siriwardana's attempt to hit Junaid ended only as a lob for Fakhar Zaman.
Lanka went from bad to worse as Hasan packed off Jeffrey Vandersay.
Sri Lanka had slipped from 102 for two wickets in 25 overs to 141 runs in 35 overs for six wickets.
Thisara Perera joined Thirimanne and the pair managed to keep Mohammad Hafeez and Shadab at bay for a while. Luck wasn't going Lanka's way and it was evident the manner in which Thirimanne got out. It was a thick inside edge onto the boot and caught, unintentionally, by the keeper.
Next over saw destructive Hasan send Akila Dananjaya back to bag his 50th wicket.
Lanka were 163 for eight with seven over left to be bowled. However, Thisara Perera with Dushmantha Chameera made those last over count. Perera struck three boundaries in one Raees over to bring up 200. But Hasan finished the partnership getting Chameera caught for his fifth wicket. Perera was run out as Lankans folded without completing their quota of 50 overs.
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