Six-wicket victory: Pakistan slay batting demons to beat Sri Lanka

Umar Akmal top-scores with 48 off 37; Irfan bags two scalps for the winners

It has been a hard two days for Pakistani T20I team after they were knocked out of the Asia Cup final's contention by Bangladesh on Wednesday.

Today, Shahid Afridi and his men take on Sri Lanka who are also facing problems in performance after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene took retirement.

The match is a dead rubber as India and Bangladesh have already booked their place in the March 6 final but both teams will want a win in their bag before going to the World T20 in India.

Post-match presentation

Best catch of the match goes to Thisara Perera for bagging Umar Akmal at extra cover.

Coolest player of the match is Muhammad Irfan.

Dinesh Chandimal: "We played really good cricket. We were 10-15 runs short in the end."

Umar Akmal: "It was a welcome victory before the World Cup. The captain backed each and every player after our defeats. I would like to give all my credit to the captain and the coach."

Shahid Afridi: "We are this great cricketers. We need partnerships like we did today. We have to change our luck, it won't change itself. I won't fall that easily. I am confident that this the team that will take Pakistan forward."

Teams

Pakistan: Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi,Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Nawaz.

Sri Lanka: LD Chandimal, TM Dilshan, DSNFG Jayasuriya, N Dickwella, CK Kapugedera, TAM Siriwardana, MD Shanaka,NLTC Perera, KMDN Kulasekara, HMRKB Herath, PVD Chameera



PAK 151-4 (19.2 overs)

Malik hits it straight towards mid-off and he drops it. Had he taken it, it would have been some drama. However, Pakistan win! Afridi will be a happy man as the batting didn't disappoint today.

In the block hole and Shoaib defends it.



PAK 150-4 (19 overs)

OUT! Umar tries to go over extra cover but the fielder takes an exceptional catch. One needed off the last over.



SIX! Scores are level. Umar Akmal with an astounding hit over midwicket.

Nuwan Kulasekara in for his last over.



PAK 141-3 (18 overs)

10 needed off last two overs.

FOUR! Umar Akmal with another boundary and Pakistan are just there.

FOUR BYES! Chameera bowls a slower delivery and the keeper misses it as the Umar just watches.

Dushmantha Chameera bowls his last over.



PAK 129-3 (17 overs)

FOUR! Picked from the point it landed and sent over the head of cover fielder towards extra cover.

Nuwan Kulasekara is back for his third over.



PAK 121-3 (16 overs)

Two runs off the over.

Dushmantha Chameera in for his third over. He has quite been expensive.



PAK 119-3 (15 overs)

Pakistan need 32 off 30 balls.

FOUR! Extra cover now. Umar feasting on the part-timer.



FOUR! Short again and this time Umar clears the boundary with a bounce.

SIX! Short and Umar Akmal clears the left leg and smacks it over deep midwicket.



Milinda Siriwardana in for his second over.



PAK 100-3 (14 overs)

Five singles off five balls. And another single off the last ball. Six off the over. Pakistan need 51 off 36 now.

Rangana Herath into his last over.



PAK 94-3 (13 overs)

Only one run and a wicket off the over.

LBW! Sarfraz goes for his favourite sweep and misses the fuller delivery. Shoaib Malik is the new man in.



Milinda Siriwardana with his off-spin now.



PAK 93-2 (12 overs)

FOUR! Short and wide and Sarfraz cuts it on the up square through off. Sarfraz aj bhi dhoka nai dega!



FOUR! Full and on off and Sarfraz throws a flat bat at it as it runs down to the boundary.



Thisara Perera in for his second over.



PAK 81-2 (11 overs)

FOUR! Sarfraz again! Long on this time.

FOUR! Sarfraz starts the over with a shot between long off and deep cover.

Rangana Herath into his third over.



PAK 65-2 (10 overs)

Six runs off the over.

Dushmantha Chameera in again after getting a beating from Sharjeel.



PAK 64-2 (9 overs)

Rangana Herath goes for three runs only.

PAK 61-2 (8 overs)

OUT! Sharjeel Khan is caught at long-on. Umar Akmal joins Sarfraz in the middle.



Tilakaratne Dilshan.



PAK 58-1 (7 overs)

FOUR! One bounce and into the deep midwicket fence. Sharjeel again!

Rangana Herath comes on to bowl.



PAK 50-1 (6 overs)

FOURx4! Sharjeel Khan showing his hitting prowess when its useless for Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan reach their fifty.

Dushmantha Chameera in now.



PAK 33-1 (5 overs)

FOUR! Cover drive by Sarfraz. Exquisite timing as he eases into the shot.

Shanaka has been called on to operate.



PAK 28-1 (4 overs)

FOUR! What a start by the Pakistan vice-captain. Enters and cuts it late to get off the mark with a boundary.

OUT! And the crash happens. Shehan came over the wicket and Hafeez just mis-read the pace of the ball. Sends the leading edge back to the bowler. Soft dismissal! Sarfraz Ahmed joins Sharjeel.



FOUR! Swept towards square leg this time. Hafeez targeting the spinner. Signs of confidence.

FOUR! Cuts beautifully past point by Hafeez.

Shehan Jayasuriya called in for some off-spin.



PAK 15-0 (3 overs)

Just one run off the over. Sharjeel is finding it hard to put Kulasekara away.

Kulasekara in for his second over.



PAK 14-0 (2 overs)

SIX! Leg glanced towards square leg by Sharjeel. A Jayasuriya type shot against Sri Lanka.

FOUR! Hafeez finds the gap between cover and point.

Thisara Perera bowls the second over with the new ball.



PAK 2-0 (1 over)

Just two off the first over. A cautious start from Pakistan.

Nuwan Kulasekara bowls the first over. Muhammad Hafeez and Sharjeel Khan open for Pakistan.



SL 150-4 (20 overs)

Two runs taken off the last ball and the target is set for Pakistan; they need to score 151 in 20 overs.

Single again. Short and Dilshan pulls it towards deep midwicket.

Siriwardana hits it back to the bowler and runs for a single.

Dilshan takes a single from mid-on.

FOUR! Short on off and cut past third man by Dilshan.

Short and dot to Dilshan.

Wahab Riaz with the last over.



SL 141-4 (19 overs)

Single off the last ball.

Wahab dives at mid-off and stands up to look away from the batsmen. Dilshan is quick and steals a second.

DROPPED! Irfan puts Dilshan down at third man. Tries to catch it with one hand.

Dilshan charges and Amir bowls a wide on off.

Steals two twos after that.

DIL-SCOOP! Dilshan goes for his trademark shot.

Muhammad Amir in for the penultimate over.



SL 127-4 (18 overs)

Two runs and two wickets off the over, exactly what Pakistan needed at this point.

Dasun Shanaka is the new man he plays a dot and Irfan BOWLS him out as well. Slow ball round the wicket and Shanaka misses it while attempting to swing at it.

Muhammad Irfan comes in for his last over round the wicket and BOWLS Chamara Kapugedara.





SL 125-2 (17 overs)

Eight runs off the over. Amir has one over left. Can he get at least one wicket in that?

FOUR! Nawaz dives at square leg but gets stuck in mud, the ball kisses his hand and slides to the boundary.

FIFTY up for Tilakaratne Dilshan.

Muhammad Amir is back round the wicket.



SL 117-2 (16 overs)

OUT! Shehan Jayasuriya holes out to long-off. Sharjeel takes another catch.



Shoaib Malik.



SL 113-1 (15 overs)

Only three runs and an important wicket off the over.

OUT! Wahab strikes for Pakistan. Chandimal (58) is caught at short midwicket by Sharjeel. Shehan Jayasuriya is the new man in.



Wahab is called back.



SL 110-0 (14 overs)

FOUR! Swept towards deep midwicket.

SIX! Straight back over Nawaz's head. Great control and a cracking shot.



Muhammad Nawaz is back.



SL 97-0 (13 overs)

FOUR! Short and Dilshan pulls it towards square leg who just stands and watches as the ball goes rocketing towards the boundary.

Dilshan takes a single on the second. Chandimal plays a dot on the third.

FIFTY up for Chandimal with a single off the first ball.

Muhammad Irfan is back.



SL 89-0 (12 overs)

Two singles, a dot and two more singles follow.

FOUR! Down the leg side and Chandimal bags four byes for his team.



Shahid Afridi in for his last over.



SL 81-0 (11 overs)

FOUR! Sliced behind point by Dilshan. Beautiful shot!



Single and double follows.

FOUR! Short and on off and Chandimal slashes it through covers.



FOUR! Top-edge flies over the keeper's head.



Wahab continues. Starts with a dot to Chandimal.



SL 66-0 (10 overs)

Dilshan play a dot on the last ball.

Chandimal tries to go over long on but the shot just lands in front of Sharjeel. Single taken!

Two singles and a dot follow.

FOUR! Chandimal dances forward and beats the fielder to the long on boundary.

Shahid Afridi in for his third.



SL 59-0 (9 overs)

Can Wahab convert it into a maiden? Last ball to Chandimal, in the block hole and the right-hander steals a single from deep point.

Wahab Riaz with his left-arm pace now. Starts with five dots.



SL 56-0 (8 overs)

Seven runs off the over.

FOUR! Chandimal crashes it towards wide long-off.

Muhammad Nawaz again.



SL 49-0 (7 overs)

Shahid Afridi goes for only five runs in the over.



SL 44-0 (6 overs)

FOUR! Another one, this time swept over over square leg by Dilshan.



FOUR! Straight this time. Dilshan moves to 23.

SIX! This time over long on. Dilshan showing his batting class against spin.



Muhammad Nawaz welcomes by Dilshan with a strike towards midwicket for a FOUR. Pressure on the newbie.





SL 26-0 (5 overs)

FOUR! Chandimal cuts and that was a catch for the first slip, instead its a boundary.

DROPPED! The ball becomes air-borne and Irfan is placed at short fine leg. He runs backward, stretches his long hands but spills it. Afridi is disappointed so is Waqar Younis and everyone else in the hud.

Shahid Afridi is in himself early.



SL 19-0 (4 overs)

FOUR! Chandimal goes through covers with a classy drive.



Two runs off the first five balls.

Irfan in for his second.



SL 13-0 (3 overs)

FOUR! Dilshan pulls a short delivery towards square leg.



Muhammad Amir steams in again. Starts with three dot balls to Dilshan.



SL 9-0 (2 overs)

Three runs off the over as Irfan extracts good bounce from the pitch.

Muhammad Irfan.



SL 6-0 (1 over)

FOUR! Cracking shot through covers by Chandimal. A rare occasion when Amir missed the target and bowled wide on off.



Muhammad Amir in with the first over. Dinesh Chandimal and Tilakaratne Dilshan open the batting for the Islanders.



Toss

Shahid Afridi calls it right and decides to bowl first: There will a bit of dew. We can't change the past; a win here will be important before going home first, and then the World T20. Khurram Manzoor, Muhammad Sami and Anwar Ali have been left out. Mohammad Nawaz, Wahab Riaz and Iftikhar Ahmed are in.