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WHAT. A. FINISH! :
That was some incredible T20 cricket. 6 needed off the final over with just one wicket in hand. Mohammad Irfan walked in with a lot of advice from everyone around him. He sensibly tapped a single first ball and got Imad Wasim on strike. Binura Fernando bowled a slower one but Wasim spotted it early and came down the track to smack it over the fence!
The perfect treble:
They recorded their highest ever run chase in the Test series.
The ODI series victory helped them clinch a spot in the Champions Trophy.
And now this incredible last-wicket win has completed a stunning tour for Pakistan. They go up to No. 3 in T20Is with this win. Sweet finish.
Drama, drama! :
Anwar Ali tonked 6, 2 and 4 from three deliveries off Malinga. He got to 46 off 17 - the highest T20I score by a No. 9! The asking rate came down to below run-a-ball. However, Malinga managed to provide another twist as he had Ali edging to the 'keeper. 8 needed off 8 at this stage. Can Pakistan's tail keep their senses and finish things off? Tight. Very, very, very tight!
And here's another twist. Tanvir goes for an unnecessary second and is run out. 6 off 6 needed with just one wicket in hand.
Anwar Ali fights! : Twist in the 'tail'
21 runs came off the 17th over. Anwar Ali smashed two sixes and a four off Jayasuriya. 32 needed off the last three now. Pakistan are making a game out of this.
12 off the 18th over now. Ali is taking this down the wire. Fantastic twist.
Hopes deflate : Afridi falls
Shehan Jayasuriya is having a dream debut. After a fighting knock with the bat, he now turns things around with the ball as well. Afridi slogs at an arm ball but misses and the off stump is hit. That will end all hopes for Pakistan
Thisara Perera ends a superb 61-run stand between Afridi and Rizwan. The latter missed a slower delivery completely and was castled. Afridi is still fighting but he needs someone to hang in there at the other end.
Boom Boom Boost :
Afridi is taking it upon himself to give the innings some momentum. Lasith Malinga was expensive in his very first over. Afridi has hit four sixes in his first 16 balls. Pakistan back on track but the wickets lost will hurt them.
Embarrassing for Pakistan :
Shoaib Malik flounders after dancing down the track. Siriwardana spins one past him to get a stumping. 40/5 in the 8th over. That tells the entire story of this Pakistan innings. Shambles.
Another run out : Akmal falls as well
Sri Lanka's fielding, as mentioned earlier, has been of the highest quality. Pakistan have lost their last two wickets due to run outs and Shoaib Malik must be feeling quite miserable, seeing both from the other end. This was not his fault though. Akmal was simply beaten by a quick throw from de Silva from deep mid wicket.
Wicket : Hafeez run out
Things getting worse for Pakistan. Sri Lanka's fielding has been top notch. Dilshan's fantastic stop at backward point resulted in a lot of hesitation between Malik and Hafeez. The latter was sent back late and Dilshan recovered quickly to fire in a throw to Perera, who deflected it back onto the stumps.
False start : Fernando strikes twice
Not what Pakistan wanted. Shehzad plays an ugly slog to a slower one from Fernando and sees his stumps in disarray. Exactly what Sri Lanka wanted though. Struggled for momentum early on but with that rousing finish and the early wicket, the hosts are back as favorites. Fernando made it even better with the wicket of Mukhtar Ahmed in the same over. The bouncer doing the trick this time as the Ahmed top edged to mid wicket
Kapugedera thrills : Sri Lanka finish with 172
It has been a tremendous innings from Chamara Kapugedera. A swift cameo changes the face of an innings in this format. Kapugedera has turned things around in 24 balls. Boundaries have been aplenty and he's given Sri Lanka a superb finish. 172 was a distant dream when he came in. He finishes with 48. Good score on the board. Can the bowlers back it up now?
Partnership blooming :
Siriwardana and Kapugedara have put on over 25 in rather quick time. The last five overs have been much better for Sri Lanka. They cannot afford to lose more wickets though. How much will that impact their finish?
End of a cameo : Jayasuriya falls for 40
Debutante Shehan Jayasuriya was the only Sri Lankan player who was treating the spinners with disdain. He kept Sri Lanka going with a 32-ball 40 before falling to Tanvir. Rush of blood. Smacks a short one straight to cover. Sri Lanka need to rebuild again.
Ugly from Perera : Opportunity wasted
Sri Lanka needed some steadying. Thisara Perera, who usually is limited to the finishing role, got a chance up the order in the absence of Mathews. However, he threw it away against Malik. Coming down the track to slog, he missed one that kept low and skidded on. Rizwan, behind the wickets, did some smart work to gather and take the bails off quickly. Malik is having a good time with the ball. 2-0-7-2 are his figures currently.
Spoken too soon.. : The StarMan strikes
Trust Afridi to make use of a pitch that offers him something. He got one to skid on with the arm to go through de Silva's defence. The signature celebration with arms raised sideways follows as his team engulfs him. Pakistan are not allowing Sri Lanka to get away.
Brisk stand :
Two famous names but these two youngsters are making everyone look beyond that. A very late cut from Jayasuriya and a superb loft down the ground by de Silva were the stand out shots in a brisk stand that has resurrected Sri Lanka. A lot of work still left though.
Wicket : Malik gets Perera
Double blow for Sri Lanka. Perera goes for an expansive sweep against Malik but totally misses a flighted delivery. Clean bowled and Pakistan are managing to restrict the scoring rate to deny Sri Lanka any momentum.
Wicket : Dilshan falls after quick start
Tillakaratne Dilshan was in an aggressive mood right from the outset. He had a slice of luck when Hafeez dropped a sitter off Anwar Ali. But he couldn't capitalize on it. Hafeez had a chance to make amends only a ball later and this time he hung on.
Toss and teams : Sri Lanka opt to bat
Lasith Malinga was happy to bat first after winning the toss. Pakistan are looking for a treble on the tour and went in without any changes. Angelo Mathews was ruled out due to injury for Sri Lanka. Dasun Shanaka and Shehan Jayasuriya came in.
Sri Lanka's president is out at the ground greeting the two teams. The president kick-starts a Kidney donation campaign. Muttiah Muralitharan is the brand ambassador for the same and he makes a donation of Rs 100,000 for the same.
Build-up :
Pakistan have a good chance of wrapping up their tour with another series win. The last game of the series offers them an excellent chance to capitalize on the momentum gained by the win in the first T20I. Sri Lanka have their backs against the wall and Malinga's men need to put up an improved show to square the series.
Pitch Report: 'There's dead grass rolled in. This pitch will be on the slower side in comparison to the first game. The captain who wins the toss will look to bat first. Something around 170-175 will be ideal,' reckons Russel Arnold.
Toss and teams coming up shortly. Stay tuned.
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