Sri Lanka subside to 131

Sri Lanka betrayed a shocking lack of stomach in moderately helpful conditions for the bowlers, to subside to 131 at Dubai stadium on Friday.Sri Lanka’s implosion of an innings featured only five fours, all of which were hit within the first 20 overs, and three sixes. The last of those - a heave against hope hopen from Lasith Malinga - broke a boundary drought that had lasted nearly 20 overs.Such was the stranglehold Pakistan wielded in the middle overs, and their effort was further embellished by the fact that their spin spearhead Saeed Ajmal had almost no role to play in it.The strip had something in it for every kind of quick - Umar Guls seam, Aizaz Cheemas swing and Abdul Razzaqs legcutters - and the Pakistan trio exploited it right from the get-go. Gul lay down the marker in the first over of the game, with a big swinging wide down the leg side, and an away seamer that bounced explosively past Tillakaratne Dilshans attempted slash.Dilshan perfected the shot in the next over, welcoming Aizaz Cheema with a pick-up through the covers, but perished four balls later when Cheema got one to buzz in sharply onto the stumps off the inside edge. Despite coming into the series in sublime form, Kumar Sangakkara could barely lay bat on ball as Cheema and Gul probed away with the two new balls. A rare couple of boundaries suggested a release, but they were promptly followed by a string of 19 successive dots. The returning Razzaq put Sangakkara out of his misery in his first over, coaxing an outside edge with a ball that angled across.Mohammad Hafeez then settled into a typically asphyxiating rhythm, mixing up arm balls with darts that straightened. Dinesh Chandimal provided some brief sparkle, launching Razzaq over long-on for six, before scything him through cover for four. The aggression wore off on Upul Tharanga, who had pottered around to 21 off 52 balls before slicing Hafeez for a boundary over the off side. He perished three balls later, hoicking rashly to mid-on, and sadly for Sri Lanka, the poor shot selection set in like an epidemic.Shahid Afridi then came on, his appetite for the limelight undiminished by his brief retirement. He tossed up four balls, the fourth of which Chandimal clattered over long-on for six. Afridi removed him with the next ball - the patent quicker one catching the batsman on the crease, followed by the trademark arms-aloft celebration. He rapped Jayawardene on the pads, and had his vociferous appeal turned down. When he was captain, Afridi would have signalled the referral immediately, almost as an extension of the appeal. This time, he turned to Misbah-ul-Haq in the covers, nodding his head vigorously to convince him, before asking for a review. The referral went Sri Lankas way, but little else did.Angelo Mathews spent 31 balls at the crease without adjusting to Hafeezs lack of turn before running himself out. Kosala Kulaseakara, yet to open his account in his debut innings, chose to chip a full ball straight to mid-off. Mahela Jayawardene watched aghast as he kept losing partners, before contributing his bit to the madness by lapping Ajmal from outside off stump to short fine-leg. Sri Lankas misery was complete soon after, with Afridi and Ajmal producing enough variety to brush aside the tail.