Loss of Imran Khan - a major obstacle and Sri Lanka lift Asia Cup
By A.C. De Silva
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Brendon Kuruppu – Sri Lanka’s opening batsman made 30 runs
and pushed the team on the victory path Sri Lanka finally
made 195 for 5 wickets and went on to win the match as
Pakistan made 191 for 9 wickets.
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Arjuna Ranatunga made the top score of 57 in the Sri Lanka
match winning score of 195 for 5 wickets in 41.2 overs after
Pakistan made 191 for 9 wickets in 45 overs.
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Aravinda de Silva – made 52 and pushed the Sri Lanka team on
the victory path. Finally Sri Lanka made 195 for 5 wickets
to win as Pakistan made 191 for 9 wickets in their 45 overs. |
Duleep Mendis – made 22 not out at time when victory was
achieved. Sri Lanka made 195 for 5 wickets in reply to
Pakistan’s score of 191 f0r 9 wickets in 45 overs. |
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Abdul Qadir (Pakistan) made 30 runs in the total of 191 for
9 wickets and the most important part is that he took 3 for
32 in the Sri Lanka innings of 195 for 5 wickets at the time
Sri Lanka won the match. |
Imran Khan – the original Pakistan skipper, but he didn’t
bowl owing to some problem that he had and Miandad led the
team. He was LBW to Ratnayake for only 2 runs.
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Asia Cup: The first Sunday of April 1986 turned out to be somewhat
lucky for Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka skipper then - Duleep Mendis, not
only won the toss at the Asia Cup final against Pakistan at the SSC
grounds at Maitland Place, but finally went on to win the Asia Cup by
five wickets.
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Javed Miandad – the stand-in skipper of Pakistan who made
the top score of 67 for Pakistan in the total of 191 for 9
wkts in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka in 1986 at the
SSC grounds. He stood in as captain when original skipper
Imran Khan had to stay out of the field. |
Pakistan didn't fare too well from the start and five wickets fell
for 72 runs, the fifth being Salim Malik, being caught and bowled by Don
Anurasiri for 23 and there was Pakistan with a somewhat pathetic
scoreboard - 72 for 5 wickets and of the recognised batsmen left there
was only Javed Miandad who was at the wickets.
Miandad using all his experience continued to bat intelligently and
Pakistan were slowly but surely getting past the bad spell and they put
up 100 for 5 wickets after 36 overs.
Sri Lanka had got the Pakistan team in their grasp. But at this
stage, the Pakistan sixth-wicket pair of Javed Miandad (67) and Manzoor
Elahi (37) were associated in somewhat of a lifesaving partnership of 65
runs that calmed the situation somewhat for Pakistan. Meanwhile Miandad
using all his experience continued to bat intelligently and runs came
quite comfortably. The real fireworks began when the Pakistan team was
in a unstable position earlier on.
Pakistan well grasped
Sri Lanka had got the Pakistan team in their grasp. But at this
stage, the Pakistan sixth-wicket pair of Javed Miandad (67) and Manzoor
Elahi (37) were associated in somewhat of a life-saving partnership of
65 runs that calmed the situation somewhat for Pakistan. Meanwhile
Miandad using all his experience continued to bat intelligently and runs
came quite confortably.
Manzoor Elahi who started shakily dealt some lusty blows as the 6th
wicket pair added 61 runs off just 14.1 overs, Elahi's contribution
being an useful 37 off 50 balls which included a six and 3 fours.
However his departure brought about the most exciting partnership of the
innings as Miandad and Abdul Qadir (30) tore the Sri Lanka attack into
shreds and put on a stand of 42 runs off only 23 balls.
Finally Miandad's great knock come to an end when he attempted
another big hit, mistimed and spooned a catch to Ratnayake off Amalean.
Miandad made the top score for Pakistan with 67. Pakistan appeared
getting nowhere near the 200-run mark, out in the final overs runs came
to the Pakistan and with Aravinda de Silva bowling the penultimate over
of the innings nearly cost Sri Lanka the match.
Qadir using the long handle for good effect despatched the floating
off-breaks to all comers of the ground scoring 19 runs including a
towering six and for the first time Pakistan total looked somewhat
respectable as they ended up with 191 for 9 off 45 overs. It was
interesting to note that the last five overs produced an incredible 51
runs, quite in contrast to the earlier Sri Lankan bowlers who kept the
Pakistan total down.
Imran Khan injured
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Kaushiek Amalean – the best bowling figures of 4 for 46 that helped Sri
Lanka to dismiss Pakistan for 191 for 9 wickets in the
match.
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When Sri Lanka went into bat, Pakistan was unfortunate to lose the
services of their skipper Imran Khan as he had to limp off the field
with a leg injury without bowling and it made a vast difference in their
attack.
Sri Lanka's openers Kuruppu (30) and Mahanama (21) put on 40 runs in
their opening partnership in 14 overs, but when Mahanama mistimed a
drive only to be caught mid-off by Qadir, Kuruppu followed, so did
Gurusinha and Sri Lanka appeared to be in deep trouble tottering at 64
for 3 off 21 overs.
Pakistan's acting captain Javed Miandad changed his bowlers around
but nothing could stop the flow of runs from the bats of exciting Sri
Lanka cricketers who went up to 64 for 3 wickets off 21 overs. Then
Arjuna Ranatunga joined Aravinda de Silva who till then playing a rather
subdued innings. The playing pattern somewhat changed.
The game somewhat changed with Mudassar Nazar and Salim Malik who
came on to bowl being quite expensive giving away 68 runs in 11 overs.
Ranatunga was going well but on 57 he miscued a drive off Qadir to
Moshin at mid-wicket. But, there was still some work to be done to
collect the runs.
Duleep Mendis and Aravinda de Silva went about collecting their runs
in a methodical manner that the win came earlier than one would have
expected. With the totals level on 191, Aravinda de Silva too departed
but Duleep Mendis wasted no time as he lofted Wasim Akram over mid-off
to bring off another sensational win.
The whole island was jubil out, so, was the then President of Sri
Lanka J.R. Jayewardene - the chief guest at the final who later declared
April 15 as a holiday in Sri Lanka for the win obtained by the team.
Match awards: Man of the Match: Javed Miandad (Pakistan), Man of the
series (1,000 dollars): Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka).
SCOREBOARD
PAKISTAN
Mudassar Nazar b De Mel 02
Moshin Khan run out 07
Rameez Raja c Mahanama b Amalean 02
Javed Miandad c Ratnayake b Amalean 67
Imran Khan lbw b Ratnayake 02
Salim Malik c & b Anurasiri 23
Manzoor Elahi b Amalean 37
Abdul Qadir c De Mel b Ratnayake 30
Wasim Akram c Gurusinha b Amalean 06
Zulqarnain not out 01
Extras (lb 4, nb 2) 14
Total (for 9 wkts 45 overs – 210 mts) 191
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-10, 3-24, 4-32, 5-72, 6-137
7-179, 8-185, 9-191
Bowling (Sri Lanka): Ashantha de Mel 9-2-21-1
K. Amalean 9-1-46-4
Ratnayake 8-0-50-2
A. Ranatunga 9-1-27-0
S. Don Anurasiri 9-0-24-1
Aravinda de Silva 1-0-19-0
SRI LANKA
B. Kuruppu c Malik b Qadir 30
R.S. Mahanama c Qadir b Elahi 21
A. Gurusinha c Zulqarnain b Qadir 04
A.A. de Silva c (sub)Tauseef b Mudassar 52
A. Ranatunga c Mohsin b Qadir 57
L.R.D. Mendis not out 22
R.L. Dias not out 00
Extras: (b 1, lb 6, w 2) 09
Total: (for 5 wkts 2 overs in 210 mts) 195
Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-59, 3-64, 4-161, 5-191
Bowling: (Pakistan): Wasim Akram 7.2-2-22-0
Zakir Khan 6-0-36-0
Manzoor Elahi 9-0-30-1
Abdul Qadir 9-0-32-3
Mudassar Nazeer 8-0-49-1
Salim Malik 3-0-17-0 |
