Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Pallekele

Seamers leave Sri Lanka struggling

24 overs Sri Lanka 68 for 6 (Gul 3-14, Sami 2-14) v Pakistan

	Umar Gul sliced through the Sri Lanka top order

After two low-scoring Twenty20 games to kickstart the series, much was expected from the surface at Pallekele to produce a more even contest between bat and ball. It turned out to be a bigger struggle for the batsmen as Sri Lanka limped to 68 for 6 in the face of incisive swing and seam bowling by Pakistan's trio, led by the consistent Umar Gul. Runs off the bat were at a premium, the top four failed to pass double digits and their combined contribution was outscored by extras.

There was rain in the air but Mahela Jayawardene was confident his batsmen would have the better of the conditions. What followed was a struggle, not just to pick the gaps but to put bat on ball. Sohail Tanvir's angle away from the right-hander kept had Jayawardene playing and missing; Gul's bounce off a good length and incutters troubled Tillakaratne Dilshan, who looked like he hadn't yet shrugged off the Twenty20 hangover. After two let-offs - a leading edge dropping short of third man and a dropped catch at short cover - he tried to loft over the bowler's head but got a top edge to mid-on.

It was a battle of attrition at both ends. There were no freebies to the left-hander Kumar Sangakkara either, as Tanvir's incutters tucked him up for room. Sri Lanka had two of their most experienced accumulators at the crease, but the seamers found ways to avert a partnership. An indipper from Gul trapped Jayawardene lbw, and he should have had Upul Tharanga the following ball when an inside edge clipped his thigh and lobbed to the keeper.

The batsmen may have had their wallets nicked when they walked out to bat - they couldn't even buy a run. In the first ten overs, Pakistan didn't concede a run off the bat for 26 consecutive legal deliveries. In that period, though, the only source of runs was 13 wides. The first boundary off the bat came in the 12th over. Any semblance of a recovery was halted when Mohammad Sami nipped out two wickets in successive overs, leaving Sri Lanka five down at the 15th over. Sangakkara didn't look pleased when he was lbw after his boot came in the way of an inswinging yorker, though the anger may have been directed at himself.

Rain forced interruptions in the 18th over and again after the 24th. In between, Sri Lanka lost another wicket as Tharanga gave the offspinner Mohammad Hafeez the charge and lost his stumps after a big swing. Subtract the wides, and the story could have been far worse for the hosts.