Chasing down 300 these days is no longer rocket science. On the belters of the subcontinent, sides regularly mow down such totals with the ease of a Sunday stroll. Sri Lanka looked well on track to do just that in Rawalpindi on Tuesday when the openers set the tone with a brisk 85-run stand. Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara were striking it sweetly, while Pakistan’s quicks lost their radar, spraying wides like confetti. Then came the fatal rush of blood — Mishara went for one shot too many, and Pakistan sniffed a chance. Once they had an opening, they pounced like a pack of wolves.

Not that it was a full-blown collapse. Barring Kusal Mendis, who bagged a golden duck, every other batter got a start but failed to carry on. Too many soft dismissals, too few partnerships — the story was all too familiar. When the dust settled, Pakistan held their nerve to scrape home by six runs, leaving Sri Lanka to rue another opportunity gone begging.

Wanindu Hasaranga was the lone bright spark. Earlier in the day, he bamboozled Pakistan with a three-wicket burst and was unlucky to miss a fourth when Hussain Talat survived a tight call. Later, with bat in hand, Hasaranga mounted a valiant rearguard, top-scoring with 59 to take the chase deep. But the top order had left too steep a hill to climb.

Pakistan, aided by a slippery outfield and heavy dew, will be the happier side — the early series lead gives them the inside track in the race for the coveted fourth spot in the ICC rankings.

For Sri Lanka, the biggest letdown was the dismissal of Charith Asalanka. Ranked sixth in the world and the team’s go-to man under pressure, Asalanka has built a reputation for shepherding tricky chases. On this occasion, he danced down the track to the left-arm spinner and paid the price — stumped in rather uncharacteristic fashion. The captain, usually the calm in the storm, lost his head when composure was needed most.

There are quiet murmurs about his fitness, though officials insist his skinfolds are within acceptable limits. Still, on television, he did appear a touch heavier around the midriff — not quite what you’d expect from Sri Lanka’s standard-bearer.

Make no mistake — Asalanka remains the brain and heartbeat of this side. No one in the current setup reads a game better or finishes with the same assurance. Since taking over the reins in turbulent times, he has built this team brick by brick — a unit that has toppled both India and Australia. The next step is consistency, the mark of a truly formidable outfit.

Sri Lanka must now dust themselves off, pick up the pieces and square the ledger in today’s game. And nothing would be sweeter than seeing Asalanka himself steering the chase home.

by Rex Clementine