Waqar and Anwar see off Sri Lanka

Pakistan put aside fresh match-fixing allegations to beat Sri Lanka by 16 runs in the $100,000 Sharjah triangular series opener on Sunday.

Captain Waqar Younis broke Sri Lanka with four for 49 after Saeed Anwar's brilliant 90 had lifted Pakistan to 255 for nine.

Waqar bowled with fire and nagging accuracy as he ripped through the batting.

The spin combination of Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi also made a valuable contribution with two wickets each as Sri Lanka fell away for 239.

In fact, Sri Lanka were rocked in the very first over when Waqar trapped Sanath Jayasuriya on the second ball.

When Waqar returned for his second spell he added three more victims, two in one over when he clean bowled Russel Arnold and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Only Romesh Kaluwitharana and Marvan Atapattu managed to stick around, adding 88 for the second wicket.

But once the spinners arrived they departed. Kaluwitharana had the top score of 63 off 73 balls, with eight fours. Atapattu contributed 28 off 52. Both fell to Malik.

Russel Arnold (25) and Indika de Saram (38) stayed for a while but never threatened.

Pakistan, accused of match-rigging in New Zealand in February by their former coach Javed Miandad, were further handicapped by the absence of senior players -- Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Yousuf Youhana, Shoaib Akhtar and Moin Khan -- through injury.

Anwar took 117 balls for his 90 which included eight fours. He and fellow opener Shahid Afridi (21) set the tone of Pakistan's innings by adding a quick 49.

Afridi fell to a diving catch by Arnold to give debutant Aklanka Ganegama his first wicket in one-day internationals.

The 21-year-old paceman struck again in his second over to remove a tentative Imran Farhat, but Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq carried on the good work in a stand of 88.

Mail Cricket Editor