Dilshan shine as Sri Lanka level series

AFP/Pallekele

Sri Lankan cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan celebrates after scoring a century against Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele yesterday

Paceman Thisara Perera bagged a career-best 6-44 and Tillakaratne Dilshan hit a century as Sri Lanka posted an easy 76-run win over Pakistan in the second one-day international yesterday. The hosts, who scored a challenging 280-4, bowled Pakistan out for 204 in the day-night match despite an impressive 96 by opener Azhar Ali to level the five-match series 1-1 in Pallekele. Opener Dilshan top-scored with an unbeaten 119 for his 13th one-day hundred, hitting one six and 11 fours in his brilliant 139-ball knock to help his team set a stiff target. Azhar, playing only his sixth one-dayer, looked set to complete his maiden one-day hundred before he was bowled by paceman Nuwan Kulasekara. He cracked 12 fours in his 119-ball knock. Man-of-the-match Perera got his first wicket when he held a superb one-handed return catch to dismiss Mohamed Hafeez (14) before removing Younis Khan (four) and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (27) to reduce Pakistan to 127-3. He took three more wickets to complete his third haul of five or more wickets in an innings. Sri Lanka earlier rejigged their batting order after losing the opening one-dayer by six wickets on Thursday, with Upul Tharanga returning as an opener and skipper Mahela Jayawardene coming in at number five. The hosts batted steadily after winning the toss as Dilshan added 70 runs for the third wicket with Dinesh Chandimal (32) and 86 for the next with Jayawardene (53), who opened in the last game. Dilshan reached his century in the 43rd over when he pulled paceman Umar Gul for a single and then hit fast bowler Sohail Tanvir over mid-wicket for the first six of the match.

SCOREBOARDSri Lanka innings U.Tharanga c Sarfraz b Tanvir 18 T.Dilshan not out  119 K.Sangakkara c and b Hafeez  18 D.Chandimal lbw b Afridi 32 M.Jayawardene b Ajmal  53 T.Perera not out  24 Extras: (b-1 lb-7 nb-1 w-7)  16 Total: (for four four wickets, 50 overs) 280 Fall of wickets: 1-37 2-84 3-154 4-240. Did not bat: A.Mathews, .Thirimanne, N.Kulasekara, R Herath, L Malinga. Bowling: Gul 9-0-58-0, Tanvir 9-1-51-1 (1w 1nb), Afridi 10-0-50-1 (1w), Rahat 4-0-34-0 (3w), Ajmal 10-0-49-1, Hafeez 8-1-30-1. Pakistan innings Mohamed Hafeez c and b Perera 14 Azhar Ali b Kulasekara 96 Younus Khan c Sangakkara b Perera 4 Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Perera 27 Umar Akmal c Sangakkara b Perera 3 S Afridi c Sangakkara b Malinga 17 Sarfraz Ahmed lbw b Kulasekara 20 Sohail Tanvir c Tharanga b Perera 3 Umar Gul lbw b Perera 14 S Ajmal c Sangakakkara b Malinga 4 Rahat Ali not out 0 Extras: (lb-2) 2 Total: (all out, 46.2 overs) 204 Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-78, 3-127, 4-139, 5-157, 6-165, 7-170, 8-197, 9-204 10-204. Bowling: Kulasekara 8.2-1-33-2, Malinga 8-1-40-2, Mathews  10-0-48-0, Perera 10-0-44-6, Herath 10-1-37-0,