Sri Lanka inflicted Pakistan's heaviest defeat in a limited-overs international on Saturday, winning the final game by 234 runs to clinch the series 2-1.Tillakaratne Dilshan's unbeaten 137 off 139 balls took Sri Lanka to 309-5 before Nuwan Kulasekera claimed 3-17 and Thilan Thushara 3-33 to bowl out Pakistan in just 22.5 overs for its fourth-lowest total of 75.
Pakistan's previous biggest defeat - in terms of runs - was a 224-run loss to Australia in 2002 at Nairobi, Kenya."I'm very happy the way we handled the situation," Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said. "Once you put 300 on the board we always knew they would be under pressure and we never let them settle.
"Kumar Sangakkara hit 50 and Sanath Jayasuriya collected 45 to also be in the runs for Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium, with Umar Gul taking 3-45 and Sohail Khan 1-52 for Pakistan.Pakistan slumped to 18-6 in the ninth over before Gul hit 27 to save the team from recording its lowest total.
Sri Lanka offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan became the only second bowler after former Pakistan quick Wasim Akram (502) to take 500 ODI wickets, finishing with 2-2.
Pakistan won the first match in Karachi by eight wickets before Sri Lanka leveled the series by winning the second by 129 runs."They really bowled and batted well and full marks to them," Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said.
"We always were going to struggle once we lost those early wickets and couldn't recover."Pakistan's decision to change its batting lineup flopped badly with opening bowlers Thushara and Kulasekera combining to effectively finish the match as a contest by the ninth over.Thushara had Kamran Akmal on 9 and Younis Khan on 4 out leg before wicket, while Misbah-ul-Haq edged a ball of his to be caught behind for 0.
In between these wickets, Kulasekera removed Salman Butt for 0 and Khurram Manzoor, who was brilliantly caught for 3 by a diving Farveez Maharoof at square leg.The hard-hitting Shahid Afridi lasted only three deliveries before leaving a delivery from Kulasekera that bowled him for 0.
Earlier, Dilshan had only one blemish in an otherwise superb century when Butt dropped a hard chance at point early in the innings after Jayawardene won the toss and chose to bat first.Pakistan, who dropped out-of-form fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir, struggled under overcast conditions as Jayasuriya yet again provided a quick start.Jayasuriya also had a life on 16 when a diving Younis Khan could not grab a one-handed chance at gully.
The hard-hitting left-hander then hammered three fours and a straight six in one over from Rao Iftikhar to give the innings momentum.Iftikhar was taken out of the attack after conceding 53 runs in five overs.Gul ended the 76-run opening stand when Jayasuriya mistimed a pull shot and holed out at mid-off.
Sangakkara added a valuable run-a-ball 104 with Dilshan as both batsmen consistently rotated the strike against some sloppy Pakistan ground fielding.Dilshan drove offspinner Saeed Ajmal - one of two inclusions in Pakistan's team - for a single in the 43rd over to raise his second century in a one-day game.Gul struck twice late in the innings when he had Jayawardene (18) and Chamara Kapugedera (0) caught behind.
