Wisden
First One-Day International

Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 2005-06

At R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, March 17, 2006 (day/night). No result. Toss: Sri Lanka.

A tropical storm during the dinner break forced this match to be abandoned after Pakistan had managed only a fair total. Atapattu's decision to bowl first, unusual for floodlit matches at this ground, raised eyebrows, but it soon looked shrewd. Maharoof, with a parsimonious new-ball spell of two for 16 from eight overs, and the other bowlers were all gunbarrel-straight on a moist twopaced pitch, while the fielding was predatory and energetic. The only time Pakistan gained any momentum was during a stand of 53 between Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq, but Maharoof returned to dispose of Inzamam in his second spell.

© John Wisden & Co.