Pakistan crushed by Sri Lanka, lose series 1-2

LAHORE: Pakistan suffered from a humiliating defeat from Sri Lanka as they were bundled out for a meager 75 runs and lost the day-night match and also the three-match series here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.

Pakistan lost the third and the final one-day International by a record margin of 234 runs. Their previous worst defeat was by 224 runs which they tasted against Australia at Nairobi in August 2002.

Pakistan won the first match by eight wickets, while Sri Lanka took the second match by 129 runs -- both played in Karachi.

This is Sri Lanka’s third biggest victory by runs as they earlier won by 245 runs against India at Sharjah in October 2000 and beat Bermuda by 243 runs at Port-of-Spain in March 2007.

Chasing an improbable target of 310 runs, Pakistani batsmen were never in a position to face Sri Lankan pacers Nuwan Kulasekera (3-17) and Thilina Tushara (3-33) and collapsed for 75 in 22.5 overs.

This is Pakistan’s fourth lowest score in One-day International cricket. This is also the lowest by any team at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Only two batsmen – late-order Umar Gul (27) and captain Shoaib Malik (19) - could enter into double-figures while four batsmen were dismissed for a duck.

Earlier, opener Tillakaratne Dilshan struck a career-best hundred to power Sri Lanka to an imposing 309-5.

The 32-year-old right-hander scored an unbeaten 137 for his second one-day hundred and shared in three important partnerships after the tourists won the toss and opted to bat.

Dilshan hit 10 boundaries during his 139-ball knock and set the tempo with a 76-run first-wicket stand with Sanath Jayasuriya (45).

Jayasuriya was caught off a miscued pull off Gul, who finished with three wickets for 45 runs.

Dilshan consolidated the innings in a second-wicket stand of 104 with Kumar Sangakkara (50) and put on 57 for the third wicket with Thilina Kandamby (32) as Pakistan toiled for wickets.

Dilshan reached his hundred with a single off spinner Saeed Ajmal, off 119-balls with four boundaries.

His previous best of 117 not out came against The Netherlands in 2006. He cut loose after his hundred as Sri Lanka added 83 runs in the final ten overs.

Captain Mahela Jayawardene, who is going through a bad patch, could score 18 runs. He and Chamara Kapugedera (duck) both were caught by wicketkeeper kamran Akmal off Umar Gul in a space of only three balls.