COLOMBO: Noman Ali took seven wickets to lead Pakistan’s rout of Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs to clinch the second Test inside four days and sweep the series 2-0 on Thursday.
The left-arm spinner took the first seven and fast bowler Naseem Shah took the final three to bowl out Sri Lanka for 188 in the evening session in Colombo.
Noman returned career-best figures of 7-70 in his 15th Test as Sri Lanka suffered their heaviest Test defeat at home.
Pakistan, who won the opening Test by four wickets, declared their first innings on 576-5 after just two overs in the morning session with a blowout lead of 410 runs.
Opener Abdullah Shafique stood out with his 201 in an innings that saw three century stands, including a 124-run partnership with Agha Salman, who smashed an unbeaten 132.
The hosts started strongly with an opening stand of 69 until Noman bowled Nishan Madushka for 33 with his first ball of the day and ruled the roost thereafter.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne hit boundaries off Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi, with Madushka joining the charge until his departure.
Left-hander Karunaratne fell for 41 after lunch and Noman soon sent back Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal before Dhananjaya de Silva attempted to resist in his brief stay with Mathews.
De Silva fell for 10 when he was caught out by Abrar Ahmed while attempting a big heave over long-on.
Angelo Mathews hit an unbeaten 63 and put on some fight with Ramesh Mendis before he was finally stumped off Noman, who went wicketless in Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 166.
Naseem bowled at express pace and reversed the old ball to miss out on a couple of close lbw calls but finally wrapped up the tail with two wickets in one over.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s concussion substitute Mohammad Rizwan reached 50 off 67 balls with three fours in the second over and put on 108 runs with overnight partner Salman.
Pakistan held all the aces after bundling out Sri Lanka for 166, with Shafique’s maiden Test double ton guiding them to a mammoth total.
Noman bags 7 as Pakistan crush Sri Lanka to sweep Test series 2-0
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Noman bags 7 as Pakistan crush Sri Lanka to sweep Test series 2-0
- Pakistan clinch the second Test inside four days and sweep the series 2-0 on Thursday
- Hosts started strongly with opening stand of 69 until Noman bowled Nishan Madushka for 33
Marmoush, Salah strike as Egypt edge out holders Ivory Coast in quarter-final
- Egypt wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute
- That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance
AGADIR, Morocco: Omar Marmoush netted the opener and Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal as Egypt ended Ivory Coast’s reign with a narrow 3-2 triumph in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.
Center back Rami Rabia was the other scorer for the Egyptians, who had little possession at the Grande Stade Agadir but took their chances with clinical precision and held on grimly to book a semifinal meeting with Senegal on Wednesday.
An own goal from Ahmed Fatouh and a late effort by Guela Doue proved insufficient for the Ivory Coast, winners of the tournament on home soil two years ago but now deposed as African champions.
Egypt, who have won a record seven Cup of Nations titles, wasted little time in taking the lead as Marmoush scored in the fourth minute after Hamdi Fathy pinched the ball from Franck Kessie in the midfield, allowing Emam Ashour to thread a pinpoint ball to the sprinting Marmoush. He still needed to shrug off the attentions of defender Odilon Kossounou before slotting home.
But it quickly became clear the Ivorians were going to dominate possession, showing much more physical strength on the ball but without setting up clear chances.
Egypt went 2-0 up in the 32nd minute when Rabia rose above the defenders to head his side further ahead from a corner.
The Ivory Coast, who had 70 percent of possession in the first half, reduced the deficit eight minutes later when teenager Yann Diomande’s freekick near the corner took a slight brush off Kossounou’s head and ricocheted off the knee of full back Fatouh and into the net.
SALAH FINISHED OFF CLEVER MOVE
The Ivorians had come from 2-0 down to beat Gabon 3-2 earlier in the tournament but hopes of turning the scoreline around soon after the re-start were stymied by a simply created, but superbly finished, goal for Salah seven minutes after the break.
Rabia was well inside his own half when he chipped the ball over the top of the Ivorian defensive line, allowing Ashour to run onto it and hit an accurate pass with the outside of his right boot into the path of Salah to score.
An Ivorian comeback was still on when Doue touched home at the end of a goalmouth scramble in the 73rd minute.
That set up a siege of the Egyptian goal in the final 15 minutes but they held out to advance.
Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria overpowered Algeria 2-0 in Marrakech and will take on hosts Morocco in the other semifinal.
