Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Butt century leads Pakistan to victory


Salman Butt's unbeaten century guided Pakistan to a comfortable eight-wicket win in the first ODI in Karachi.

Iftikhar Anjum (4-42) and Umar Gul (3-30) ripped Sri Lanka out for 219 despite Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya's opening stand of 71.

Butt (100no) and Khurram Manzoor (83) put on 168 for Pakistan's first wicket and Younus Khan (20) and Shoaib Malik (11no) helped Butt finish the job.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene opted to bat after winning the toss and Tillakaratne Dilshan (42) and Sanath Jayasuriya (38) ripped Pakistan's new ball bowlers apart.

Umar Gul pegged the visitors back by sending back both openers and seamer Ifthikar Anjum snared three middle-order wickets to help restrict the visitors to an unflattering score on a placid track.

Butt and Manzoor had begun Pakistan's reply cautiously against an accurate spell from new-ball bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara.

Muttiah Muralitharan finally broke through in the 39th over, the first of the batting side's powerplays. He latched on to a return catch to get rid of Manzoor, but by then Pakistan were well on the road to victory.

Younis Khan (20) was the other wicket to fall, a victim of Farveez Maharoof.

Butt, however, brought up his eighth one-day century with a single of Dilshan, reaching the mark in 116 deliveries and remained to finish off the task in the company of skipper Shoaib Malik (11 not out).

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