Pakistan Look Extend Lead With Another Win

Dubai: Former captain Younis Khan said his team will continue to keep things simple as they look to double their series lead in the second one-day match against Sri Lanka on Monday. Pakistan thrashed their rivals in the first match on Friday by eight wickets and Younis hopes the team sticks to the same plan.

Pakistan bowled Sri Lanka out for a paltry 131 in 40.3 overs on the back of 3-27 by returning all-rounder Shahid Afridi, ably supported by off-spinners Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal who took two wickets apiece. They then chased down the target for the loss of only two wickets to go 1-0 up in the five-match series.

Younis led Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title in England in 2009 before he quit the post after clashes with several players. The remaining matches will be played in Dubai (November 18), Sharjah (November 20) and Abu Dhabi (November 23). Both teams also play a Twenty20 in Abu Dhabi on November 25.

After their comprehensive victory on Friday, Pakistan are unlikely to want to tinker with their combination.

Things haven't been as smooth for the man who became Sri Lanka's leader after the World Cup. There's been some scattered Twenty20 success, but Tillakaratne Dilshan's side has lost all their major Test and ODI assignments over the past six months.

Though it was the batting that was abject in their defeat in the previous game, Sri Lanka's top six is more or less set in stone, unless if Jayawardene fails to recover from his knee problem. In that case, Dimuth Karunaratne, the 23-year-old top-order batsman from SSC, will likely take his place.

Changes are likely to come lower down in the order, with Thisara Perera and Jeevan Mendis as possible replacements for the new boys, Kosala Kulasekara and Seekkuge Prasanna. Perera could even be brought in at the expense of Dilhara Fernando, who was erratic on Friday though he touched express speeds of 145kph.

Teams from

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Asad Shafiq, Imran Farhat, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Mahela Jayawardene, Suraj Randiv, Kosala Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dilhara Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne, Lasith Malinga, Jeevan Mendis, Thissara Perera, Upul Tharanga, Seekkuge Prasanna.

Stats and trivia

• Shahid Afridi's Man-of-the-Match award on Friday was his 25th, one more than Inzamam-ul-Haq has received. Saeed Anwar (28) is the only Pakistan player with more such honours.
• Tillakaratne Dilshan's batting form has deserted him in ODIs since he took over as captain after the World Cup. In 12 matches, he has only one half-century and averages a paltry 13.66.

Match facts
Monday, November 14, 2011 (day/night)
Start time 1500 (1100 GMT)