Twitter Reactions: Abid Ali and Pakistan outdo Danushka Gunathilaka's supreme efforts to clinch the series
Even though he scored 133 from 134 balls, Danushka Gunathilaka's efforts went in vain.
Sri Lanka’s hopes of drawing the series against Pakistan didn’t turn into reality despite great efforts from the visiting side. The visitors have themselves to blame as they let things drift away towards the end of their innings with the bat. As a result, Danushka Gunathilaka’s efforts went in vain. Abid Ali and Fakhar Zaman starred in this series-clinching victory for Pakistan.
The Islanders got it right at the toss this time around and rightly chose to bat first. However, Avishka Fernando failed once again and got out for just 4 runs. Then, there was a brief partnership between Danushka and skipper Lahiru Thirimanne. The latter, after crawling his way to 36 off 53, got out to Mohammad Nawaz. This was followed by the wicket of Angelo Perera who scored a 25-ball 13. Debutant Minod Bhanuka looked really good and batted extremely well.
However, it was quite unfortunate to see him return back to the pavilion in the form of a run-out after mustered 36 from 39 balls. Danushka Gunathilaka, though, kept persisting from one end. The 28-year-old got to a well-compiled century and was dismissed on 133 by Mohammad Amir. Even though Dasun Shanaka scored 43 off 24 towards the end, Sri Lanka couldn’t get the push they’d have wanted. The slowdown in the middle overs cost them as they only got to 297/9 in 50 overs.
A combined effort from the Pakistan batsmen gets them home
In the chase, Pakistan got off to a terrific start with a 123-run opening partnership. While Fakhar Zaman scored 76 off 91 balls, Abid Ali was the aggressor with 74 from 67 balls. Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed then made handy contributions worth 31 and 26 runs. In the middle order, Haris Sohail was highly impressive as he got to 56 from 50 balls under pressure which put Pakistan in a commanding position. With an unbeaten 22-ball 28, Iftikhar Ahmed ensured that the team got over the line with 10 balls and 5 wickets to spare.
The fans congratulated the Pakistan team on Twitter to this series victory at home. They enjoyed the efforts of Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, and Haris Sohail. The Sri Lankan fans, on the other hand, were disappointed that the team couldn’t get over the line despite a wonderful century from Danushka Gunathilaka.
Here is how Twitterati reacted:
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