Sri Lanka narrowly avoided an embarrassing defeat against an Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) side on Friday as they limbered up for the Sharjah triangular series with Pakistan and New Zealand starting Monday with a friendly 30 over game at the Dubai Cricket Council grounds.
Playing their likely XI for the first game against Pakistan, Sri Lanka's new-look top order struggled before all-rounder Upul Chandana rescued the innings with a belligerent fifty, to leave the ECB chasing 180.
Jayasuriya's side were then given a further fright as ECB opener Arshad Ali, who scored five sixes in a superb 87, carried the hosts to within a whisker of an unlikely victory.
However, in the end, Sri Lanka were saved by some sharp ground fielding, with four ECB batsmen being runout to secure the visitors a slender 10-run win.
Having won the toss, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's new opening combination, started brightly enough before Sangakkara was runout (17 for one).
Jayasuriya, who had looked in good form with a 25 run cameo, was caught at mid on after a mistimed pull, Mahela Jayawardene was runout after a direct hit and Russel Arnold was bowled as he tried to cut.
When Atapattu tried to step-up the run-rate and was bowled, Sri Lanka were precariously placed on 82 for five with 13 overs remaining in the innings.
A modest total appeared inevitable before Chandana showed off the batting confidence he gleaned from Sri Lanka A's series with Kenya, smashing 50 from 39 balls, hitting three sixes and four fours.
Tillakaratne Dilshan, earmarked to bat at number six on Monday, provided good support, as did Nuwan Zoysa at the death, and Sri Lanka managed to muster a decent total.
In the second innings, Buddika Fernando soon slipped a yorker through the defenses of opener Saeed Al Saffar, but Arshad Ali and Saqid Ali then saw off the fast bowlers.
In the tenth over, off-spinner Kumar Dharmasena was introduced and he struck immediately, clean bowling Saqib through the gate.
Thereafter, Arshad, the Man of the Match, played skillfully and confidently, carrying the ECB agonisingly close to the Sri Lankan total before he became fourth batsman to be runout in the innings.
© CricInfo
| Teams | New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara. |
| Tournaments | Sharjah Cup |
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