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Butt,
Iftikhar help Pakistan tame Sri Lanka
Opener
Salman Butt hit a sparkling century and paceman Rao
Iftikhar returned career-best bowling figures as Pakistan
crushed Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the first day-night
international here Tuesday.
The left-handed Butt scored a 117-ball 100 and put on
a solid 168-run opening stand with Khurram Manzoor (83)
as the home team chased down a modest target of 220
with 4.1 overs to spare at the National Stadium.
The win gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match
series. The second match will also be played here Wednesday.
The final match is in Lahore Saturday.
Sri Lanka, who were bowled out for 219 in 45.2 overs,
failed to put up a solid resistance and their celebrated
spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis were
rendered ineffective by Pakistan’s aggressive approach.
Mendis,
who was tipped to dominate the home batsmen after taking
four wickets against Pakistan and six against India
in Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup win here last year, failed
to live up to the billing, finishing with 41-0.
The 24-year-old Butt, who reached his eighth one-day
hundred with a single, hit 13 boundaries in his 117-ball
knock.
Manzoor,
who scored his previous best of 69 against the West
Indies in Abu Dhabi last year, hit nine boundaries off
128-balls before he gave a return catch to Muralitharan
with just 52 needed for victory. Younis Khan fell for
20, but Shoaib Malik (11) helped Butt wiped off the
target.
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