14 Friday 21st October, 2011 BY MOHAMMED SALIM PARVEZA Lanka’s spirited reply of 289 all Series in South Africa. (Continued from yesterday) out fell well short of Pakistan’s In March 1999, Pakistan and massive total of 371 for 9 off 50 Sri Lanka drew their qualifying n December 1986, Pakistan overs. In the following month, game played in Lahore in the beat Sri Lanka by 4 wickets in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka were inaugural Asian Test Ithe Champions Trophy, held in participants of yet another ODI Championship. Opening batsman Sharjah. In the 1987 Reliance tournament, on this occasion for Wajahatullah Wasti, in his sec- World Cup, the first one to be held the Singer Champions Trophy in ond Test, scored centuries in in the sub-continent, Pakistan Sharjah. Having pocketed the first each innings, only the third had the better of the two group game against Pakistan by 75 runs, Pakistani to do so after Hanif stage games against Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka lost the second one by 8 Mohammad (1961-62) and Javed winning by 15 runs at Hyderabad wickets and thus failed to qualify Miandad (1984-85). In the final and 113 runs at Faisalabad. for the final. though, held in Dhaka, Pakistan In the next meeting between In April 1997 Sri Lanka picked trounced Sri Lanka by an the two countries, Sri Lanka over- up the Singer Akai Cup, on the innings and 175 runs with both came Pakistan by 5 wickets in the way beating Pakistan in three Ijaz Ahmed (211) and Inzamam- opening game of the Asia Cup matches inside eight days, includ- ul-Haq (200) holding the stage in held in Dhaka in October 1988. ing the final, which they won by 4 their side’s massive total of 594. In March 1989 Pakistan beat wickets. Its star of the show was In March 1999, Pakistan and Sri Sri Lanka twice in winning the Aravinda de Silva, who with Lanka secured a win against Sharjah Cup. On their way to win- scores of 97, 134 and 87not out each other in the group stages of ning the Nehru Cup that was held was really on top with the world. the Pepsi Tri-Nation Cup that in India, Pakistan recorded a nar- Six weeks later, Sri Lanka, was hosted by India. row six runs win against Sri secured another trophy to its In the post-1999 World Cup Lanka at Luknow. In the 1989-90 ever-growing collection of silver- phase, Sri Lanka having lost its World Series Cup matches, held in ware, by beating Pakistan in the crown of ODI world champions Australia, Sri Lanka beat best-of-three finals of the Pepsi to Australia arrived in Sharjah to Pakistan by 5 wickets in Perth Independence Cup, held in India. take part in a three-nation Coca before losing three successive The margin of victories at Cola Champions Trophy that also matches in Brisbane, Hobart and Mohali (115 runs) & Calcutta (85 featured Pakistan and West Adelaide, respectively. runs) took Arjuna Ranatunga’s Indies. Pakistan tied its first In April 1990 Pakistan armed From mid 90s onwards Sri Lanka had the better of exchanges against Pakistan with Aravinda de Silva and Sanath side ahead of its two Asian rivals, game against Sri Lanka, as with a rampant Waqar Younis Jayasuriya coming up with many match winning knocks. Here the two Sri Lankan greats take a breather in the India and Pakistan in ODIs. With Abdur Razzaq picked up five for stole the show with a 90-run win dressing room. scores of 339 for 4 and 309 all out, 31 and won the next game by 118 in the group stage fixture in the runs. Thus Wasim Akram’s side Austral-Asia Cup, held in remained unbeaten in the tour- Sharjah. At the same venue, in nament as they beat Sri Lanka by December 1990, Pakistan lifted the 88 runs in the low scoring one- Sharjah Cup by virtue of better sided final. Man of the Match run-rate in the two games played Pakistan – Sri Lanka Azhar Mahmood had figures of 5 against Sri Lanka. for 28 to his name. The Test matches in the win- In February 2000, Sri Lanka ter of 1991-92, between Pakistan turned the table on its hosts by and Sri Lanka, played at Sialkot achieving an ODI whitewash and Gujranwala, disrupted by against Pakistan with wins at rain and bad light, ended in cricket history (Part 3) Karachi, Gujranwala and Lahore. draws. The decider at Faisalabad, The three Test series too was a the last of Imran Khan’s career, cause of celebration for the Sri which spanned 88 Tests, was a West Indies to compete for the posed by Sri Lanka, to register ly well to be declared as the win- no one could argue with their bat- Lanka team that recreated the low-scoring thriller that was dom- Pepsi Champions Trophy. two straight wins at the start of ner of the Singer Champions ting depth. The following week, spirit of 1995, by winning at inated by pace bowlers. In the Pakistan’s superiority over Sri the Mandela Trophy, held in Trophy in Sharjah. It was the the Pakistan team led by stand-in Rawalpindi (2 wickets) and end, Pakistan squeezed home on Lanka continued with two more South Africa. The Asia Cup jinx islanders’ first ever victory in an captain Rameez Raja, fought well Peshawar (57 runs). In the open- the final day with a narrow three- victories over its Asian rival. followed Pakistan when they were overseas limited-overs tourna- against heavy odds, to avoid ing Test, debutant Younis Khan wicket win, whilst chasing 185. A The 1994-95 tour, with middle- beaten soundly by Sri Lanka by ment with more than two Test defeat in the Test matches at (107) brought back his side into top order collapse had seen the order batsman Salim Malik in five wickets, in a must-win tie at countries. In Sharjah, Pakistan R.Premadasa Stadium and SSC. the game only to see it snatched home side reeling at 60 for four charge, was easily the most suc- Sharjah in April 1995. beat Sri Lanka by 82 runs in its Most of the cricket played in away by the old master Arjuna before Zahid Fazal (78) and Wasim cessful undertaken by a Pakistan first encounter before going down the series was dominated by the Ranatunga who defied his injury Akram (54) steered the ship to side to Sri Lanka. Although the Coming of Age in the do-or-die tie by eight wick- bat, in particular by Aravinda de by scoring 49 and 29 not out to safety. This was the closest Sri series was played under the The tour of 1995-96 kicked off ets. In March 1996, Sri Lanka Silva, who once gain toyed with win a close game. The home side Lanka had come to winning a clouds of civil unrest following a with Pakistan hosting Sri Lanka, went on to create history by win- Pakistan bowlers and in succes- clinched the final Test by 222 Test overseas, for which they general election in Sri Lanka, the led by Arjuna Ranatunga, for a ning the Wills World Cup. The sive innings had scores of 168, runs as a consolation victory, would have to wait for another deadly fast bowling combination tour with of three Tests and a very next month, Pakistan, led by 138not out and 103not out. On the with stand-in captain, Moin four years. of Wasim Akram and Waqar same number of ODIs. Sri Lanka stand-in captain Aamir Sohail, final day of the second Test, Khan, named to continue on a The five-match ODI series, the Younis, was at the heart of with its first overseas Test win beat Sri Lanka to lift the three- Salim Malik (155) produced a permanent basis. The rubbery last opportunity for both teams in Pakistan’s success of 4-1 win in against New Zealand under its nation Singer Cup, the first ever match-saving innings worthy of wrists of Muttiah Muralitharan, preparation for the forthcoming the ODIs and two conclusive vic- belt was not going to be a push international tournament to be weight in gold. controversial and perhaps not World Cup in Australia and New tories in the Test matches at P over. Pakistan Cricket Board held in Singapore. Left-handed With very little breathing the sight for the purists, lived up Zealand, was won by Pakistan 4-1. Sara Oval (301 runs) and Asgiriya named Rameez Raja as the new opening batsman, Sanath space in between the tourna- to high expectation by claiming The dynamic opening batsman, (an innings and 52 runs). captain, but with both Waqar Jayasuriya, having recently ments, the World Cup holders Sri 26 wickets in three Tests. The Inzamam-ul-Haq introduced him- A strong Sri Lankan batting Younis and Wasim Akram, not fir- emerged as the most eye-catching Lanka hosted the Pepsi Asia Cup smiling assassin from Kandy had self on the world stage by taking line-up flopped in the wake of ing on all cylinders and unavail- opening batsman in the world, in July 1997. They kicked off with all the leading Pakistan batsmen two hundreds off the helpless Sri pressure exerted by Pakistan able for the entire duration of the smashed 134 off 65 balls with 11 a 15-run win against Pakistan at including Saeed Anwar, Lankan bowlers, first in his home bowling as they were dismissed tour, the home side tasted its first fours and 11 sixes to be followed R.Premadasa Stadium as Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad town of Multan and another one for 226, 181, 71 and 234 in four combined Test and ODI series by 76 off 28 balls in the final, a Pakistan were bowled out for 224.