Pakistan beat Sri Lanka

Pakistan win the match by 11 runs.

COLOMBO: Pakistan won the match by 11 runs with Sri Lanka unale to chase the target at the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Saturday. Pakistan set a 277 target for Sri Lanka to chase.

End of live updates

50th over:

Pakistan complete the win. Sri Lanka end the innings at 266/9.

OUT! Umar Akmal catches it at the mid on boundary.

FOUR. Beats third man off Kulasekara's shot.

At the start of the 50th, Sri Lankan fans still believe in their team with the crowd cheering them on.

Sri Lanka need 18 off the last over. Umar Gul to bowl.

49th over:

At the end of the second last over, Sri Lanka need 18 from 6 balls. 260/8

11 runs from the over.

SIX. Herath for a six on mid-wicket.

Hafeez to bowl.

48th over:

Akhtar's last over results in 7 runs. Sri Lanka need 29 from 12 balls. 249/8.

Twitter reacts to Akmal stumping Chamara:

jammabbas Muhammad Abbas Kaaaamiii thank u very much. U r the man. #Pakistan

sidathsam Sidath Sameera  Chamara gone ! Finally Akmal able to stump it #Enna #CWC2011#SLvsPAK

MaryaRaja Marya Raja 232-8 :D ByeBye CHAMARAY #CWC2011 #Pakistan

47th over:

Sri Lanka need 36 from 18 balls at the end of the 47th over. 242/8

FOUR off Rehman's ball on the off side by Kulasekara.

Rangana Herath comes in to bat.

OUT! Silva stumped by Akmal off Rehman's wide delivery. 232/8.

46th over

At the end of the 46th over, Sri Lanka need 46 to win with 3 wickets and 24 balls remaining. 232/7.

Right-handed Nuwan Kulasekara comes in to bat.

OUT! Akhar bowls out Perera.

FOUR for Silva off Akhtar's second ball towards the leg side boundary in the gap.

Shoaib Akhtar's over.

45th over:

55 to win off 30 balls for Sri Lanka. 223/6

FOUR. Perera hits it straight down the ground.

Half century for Chamara Silva. 5th ODI fifty for him in World Cup cricket.

FOUR! Silva with a smashing four on the leg side off Gul's second delivery.

Thisara Perera comes in to bat.

44th over:

Sri Lanka need 67 runs to win off 36 balls. Score is 211/6

OUT! Ahmed Shehzad takes the catch as Afridi picks up the wicket of Mathews.

FOUR by Silva to Afridi towards third man.

43rd over:

Sri Lanka need 75 from 42 balls with the score at 203/5

FOUR off the last ball of Rehmans over by Mathews on the leg side.

Abdur Rehman bowls the 43rd.

42nd over:

7 runs off Afridi's over. Sri Lanka need 89 from 48.

Interesting facts on Twitter:

Zobi_Khan Zobi Khan And #Lala has become first bowling allrounder to get 300 wicket and scoring more than 6K runs #PakCricket #CWC2011 #Afridi Via @Rai_Azlan

BharatGami Bharat Gami  RT @OptaJim 13 - 13 of the last 14 games played at Colombo have been won by the side batting first. Gauntlet. #CWC2011

41st over:

At the end of the 41st over, Sri Lanka need 96 to win from 54 balls with the score at 182/5.

At the start of Abdur Rehman's eighth over, Sri Lanka need more than 10 runs an over to win.

40th over:

Sri Lanka need 100 to win  from 60 deliveries.

Afridi bowls his 8th over. 4 runs from the over.

39th over:

Sri Lanka require 104 more runs to win from 66 balls.

Pakistan call for a review decision on Mathews. Umpire's decision of not-out not reversed. The ball did not nick the bat as the keeper had thought.

Abdur Rehman to bowl the 39th over.

Tweets congratulating Afridi on his 300 ODI wickets:

MOHAMMED_umar MOHAMMED Umar Khan LALA Wins. 300 Wickets. Whattay LEGEND. #cwc2011

shareek_hy yazar shareek Boom Boom in action.. RT @EnnaDinawanna Congrats Afridi for taking 300 ODI wickets #CWC2011 #Enna

nimraarshad Nimra Arshad Oh thank God! 300 for Lala! :D #cwc2011

MasuudQazi Masuud Qazi 300! Take a bow, legend. TAKE A BOW, YOU LEGEND! 300 MOTHERUCKIN' ODI WICKETS. Go crazy, folks! #Afridi

38th over:

Angelo Mathews is in to bat.

Sri Lanka require another 109 runs to win with 72 balls remaining and five wickets in hand.

OUT! Afridi gets the important wicket of Sangakkara. Ahmed Shehzad at mid-on catches it safely. Afridi's 300th wicket in one-day internationals.

Umar Gul shows commitment in the field, diving full-length to save a definite boundary.

Afridi calls for a review on an lbw not-out decision on Sangakkara. Decision not reversed. Not out. The ball pitched outside the leg stump.

37th over:

Sri Lanka are 167/4.

No ball on the fifth delivery. Free hit for Sri Lanka.

Good fielding by Asad Shafiq on the off side off Rehman fourth delivery.

Twitterers are both happy and unhappy that Chamara was dropped.

ayeshaesque Ayesha - عائشہ  It is those missed chances that can cost a match. #CWC2011#PakCricket

onecricketfan Cricket Fan  Dropped catch! If we get a streaker this Sri Lanka v Pakistan game has had everything... #cwc2011 #cricket

crazykesh Keshan Sanjaya  Pakistan doesn't need Chamara's wicket they know if Chamara goes their chances are minimum #CWC2011 #enna

MalhotraSaurabh Saurabh Malhotra

Smart of Abdul Rehman to drop Chamara Silva and delay the entry of Thisira Perera and Angelo Mathews. Well done! #cwc2011

36th over:

Sri Lanka at 159/4 require 120 runs with 14 overs remaining

SIX. Sangakkara smashes the first six of the innings. A six over third man, hitting it with the top edge of the bat.

A sitter is dropped by Abdur Rehman on the leg side off Umar Gul's. Chamara Silva has another chance after not being able to middle the ball.

Tweeps are unhappy at Akmal missing the stumping chance on twitter. It was the second time today.

gulmeenay Gule Sethi  For the love of God! DIE AKMAL. #PakCricket #FTW #CWC2011

grangergabblog Minal

How clumsy are you #Kamran ???? These instances make us wanna believe there is something fishy going on!!! #cwc2011

waris_shah Waris Shah  Akmal u errrrr #CWC2011

35th over:

Sri Lanka are 149/4.

FOUR by Sangakkara off the last ball.

Sangakkara misstumped. KAmran Akmal missed the ball. Rehan had spotted Sangakkara coming down the pitch and bowled it wide.

Ball hit over the top of the offside field by Sangakkar after giving himself a bit of room but filedl at the boundary.

Sangakkara tries to hit a boundary, but is not able to find a gap. The ball was not grounded and it looked like the fileder might just catch it.

Abdur Rehman comes in to bowl.

Twitter: Sri Lankans seem unhappy with Chamara Silva

thegutterflower gutterflower Can someone please tell Chamara Silva he's not playing in a test match? SOMEONE. ANYONE. #cwc2011

kau_shik Kaushik Ahmed Reza Dear Chamara Silva, every ball you face costs every inch away from your victory #CWC2011 #SLvsPAK

Mandaardk Mandar Kelkar RT @cricketicc: This is the first time since #cwc1992 that Sri Lanka and Pakistan are playing each other in a #cwc game #cwc2011

rararana Rana Malook Sangakarra knows something I don't!! They must have 6 sehwags and afridis coming in to blast them to victory :-s #cwc2011 #cricket

faisaljamkhan FJK ☜ ✔☺ More Khan's In cricket the More Awesome it is #cwc2011 #Afridi11

34th over:

Sri Lanka are 140/4

Pakistan are taking the batting powerplay (maximum 3 fielders outside the 30-yard box).

Here is some twitter buzz:

twtsbot Twter cricketicc: Afridi is just two wickets away from 300 now #cwc2011: cricketicc: Afridi is just two wickets away f... http://bit.ly/hCqvRu

theturningforce Torque GREENS are all turned-on! May we win this one :) #pakcricket#cwc2011

33rd over

Sri Lanka need 143 runs to win with 17 overs and six wickets  remaining. Kumar Sangakkara and Chamara Silva are batting.

Mohammad Hafeez's over results in 5 runs.

Match resumes after a drinks break.

32nd over

Sri Lanka are 130/4.

Pakistan are keeping it tight with three runs from Umar Gul's fifth over. Sri Lanka need over 8 runs an over to win.

Good fielding by Ahmed Shahzad on the off side.

31st over

Sri Lanka are 128/4. They require another 150 runs with six wickets and 19 overs remaining.

30th over

Umar Gul bowls to Sangakkara and Silva. The Lankan wear looks of despair in the pavilion. SL are 119/4 and need 159.

29th over

Rehman bowls to Sangakkara and Silva, Sri Lanka are 116/4.

28th over

Afridi bowls to Sangakkara and Silva. Sri Lanka are 116/4 and need 163 to win off 135 balls.

27th over

Rehman bowls to Sangakkara and Silva and gets him out! LBW given by umpire, Sri Lanka are 111/4. Decision reviewed and umpire reverses original, Silva not out. "Try again, Rehman," says Ramiz Raja

26th over

Afridi bowls to Sangakkara and Silva, Sri Lanka are 110/4 and need 168 to win. Here's the Twitter buzz:

anandan22 Anandan Pillai  #Srilanka have displayed worst batting - Dilshan, Jayawardene, Samaraweera all getting out in worst manner #CWC2011

Rai_Azlan Rai M. Azlan Shahid  that was a nice bowl by #Rehman #PakCricket #cwc2011

gypsybrook Sarah Ahmad  Any time is a good time for a wicket...when your teams bowling :-P#cwc2011 #cricketworldcup

nikhilkothari27 Nikhil Kothari  First major upset of the #CWC2011 expected today....pakistan set to beat the lankans :)

24th over

Rehman bowls the over, 109/4 and Lanka need 169 to win.

23rd over

Akhtar bowls to Chamara Silva and Sangakkara, SL makes 104/4 wickets and need 174 to win. Tribune reporter Fawad Hussain tells us the home crowd in Colombo has simmered down after the fall of four wickets but are still hopeful that their team will win.

22nd over

Afridi bowls to Samaraweera and Sangakkara. And Kamran Akmal stumps Samaraweera out! Sri Lanka are 96/4 and need 182 to win. This is magical!

21st over

Akhtar bowls Jayawardene out! A beautiful delivery that ripped through the stumps and now Sri Lanka are 96/3. Good going, Akhtar! Samaraweera comes to the crease, SL need 182 to win.

20th over

Akhtar bowls to Sangakkara and danger man Jayawadene. Sri Lanka are 95/2 and need 183 runs to win. Run rate is 4.67.

19th over

Afridi take the ball, lets hope he brings in some of the wicket-taking magic from the previous match. He takes a wicket! Dilshan bowled out on 41 runs and Sri Lanka are 88/2. This game is getting exciting, go Afridi, go greens!

18th over

Hafeez bowls the over, Lanka are 86/1 and need 192 runs to win. Sangakkara and Dilshan at the crease

17th over

Razzaq bowls the over, Sangakkara comes to the crease and Sri Lanka are 82/1 with 196 runs to win

16th over

Tharanga caught out by a jubilant Afridi, bowled by spinner Hafeez. Bring it on boys! Sri Lanka are 77/1 and need 201 runs to win.

15th over

Razzaq bowls the over, Sri Lanka are 72/o and need 200 to win. Take a wicket guys!!!

14th over

Hafeez bowls the over, Tharanga hits the ball for a four and Sri Lanka's score climbs to 68 for no loss. Lanka needs 210 to win

13th over

Umar Gul bowls the over, and Tharanga whacks the first delivery for four. Sri Lanka make their 50 and need 226 runs to win. Dilshan hits another four and Gul's frustration mounts. No ball called on next delivery, free hit in place. Free hit stays as balls is another wide which goes to the boundary for four. Sri Lanka are 64/0 and need 214 runs to win. This is not looking good for Pakistan, and Jayawardene isn't even here yet!

12th over

Mohammed Hafeez bowls this over, Sri Lanka need 230 runs to win and are at 48/0 as the last ball of the over clears the boundary for four.

11th over

Sri Lanka need 237 to win,  Gul bowls and Lanka are 41 for no loss.

10th over

Akhtar bowls, skipper Afridi gives him a last minute pep talk. Dilshan clears the ball for a four, Sri Lanka are 35/0  and need 243 runs to win.

Ninth over

Umar Gul bowls the over, Sri Lanka need 249 runs to win and are at 29/0

"It's time for Pakistan to change gears and take a wicket," says commentator Ramiz Raja. My feelings exactly! Go get 'em greens.

Eighth over

Akhtar bowls to Tharanga and Dilshan, 27/0 at the end of the over

Seventh over

Akhtar bowls again and Sri Lanka needs 252 runs more to win. Their score is 27/0

Sixth over

Razzaq bowls and Dilshan hits two boundaries on two deliveries. Sri Lanka are 24/0

Fifth over

Akhtar bowls, Sri Lanka are 16/0  and need 263 runs to win.

Fourth over

Bowled by Razzaq. Tharanga hits another four, Sri Lanka are 14/0 and need 264 to win

Third over

Akhtar bowls the over, Tharanga scores first four of the innings. Sri Lanka 7/0

Second over

Maiden over bowled by Razzaq, Dilshan on strike.

First over

Batsmen Dilshan and Tharanga open for Sri Lanka while Shoaib Akhtar is bowling with three slips in place, 2/0

Tribune reporter Fawad Hussain is at the stadium and tells us that Pakistan's manager Intikhab Alam hopes the team can defend its 277 score by showing discipline while bowling. He commended Misbah and Younus for guiding Pakistan to this score and said it is a great sign for the team that both the seasoned batsmen found form at the start of the tournament.

Tribune blogger Jalaluddin laments the loss of fast bowler Junaid Khan who he thinks would have been instrumental in beating Sri Lanka. He writes :

I think Junaid should share the new ball with Akhtar – provided the experienced campaigner is fit to play another match given the recent news about him and seeing him bowl just five overs.

Here's the Twitter buzz after the first innings:

gordongraham gordongraham  on that innings just completed, I think both these teams will progress to the final stages of the tournament #cwc2011 #cricket

YasirNasir Yāsir Nasír  Sri Lanka has talent, GOOD TALENT! ;) #ifyouknowwhatimean#CWC2011

faisalyorker Faisal Ceasar  Today the Pakistanis have greater chance of winning.They are the masters of defending totals.#cwc2011

jspennington John Pennington  Good recovery from Pakistan - led by experienced hands Younus and Misbah. Sri Lanka under pressure. Need their key players to fire#cwc2011

budhajeewa Supun Budhajeewa  RT @faisalyorker: Either #Pakistan or #Srilanka shouldnt mind losing to each other as both are great friends. #Enna #PAKvSL#CWC2011

budhajeewa Supun Budhajeewa  RT @pahans: malinga we missed you :( #CWC2011 #enna#PAKvSL #CWC2011

Pakistan's innings:

Ahmed Shehzad c Sangakkara b Perera        13

Mohammad Hafeez run out                    32

Kamran Akmal st Sangakkara b Herath        39

Younus Khan c Jayawardene b Herath         72

Misbah-ul-Haq not out                      83

Umar Akmal c Dilshan b Muralitharan        10

Shahid Afridi c Dilshan b Mathews          16

Abdul Razzaq c sub b Perera                 3

Extras: (lb-4, w-5)                         9

Total: (for seven wickets, 50 overs)      277

50th over

Razzaq caught out on the last ball. First innings ends, Pakistan are 277/7

Misbah hits a four, Pakistan 276/6

Perera bowls the last over. Razzaq comes to bat, Pakistan's run rate is stuck on 5.45, 268/6

49th over

Mathews bowls this over. Afridi caught out by Dilshan on 16 runs. 267/6

48th over

Perera bowls this over and Misbah clears the first ball for a four! Pakistan 249/5. Afridi hits two fours as well, score climbs to 260/5.

Twitter buzz:

Zeeshan_Ahmed Syed Zeeshan Ahmed  Great death bowling, don't blame Afridi #CWC2011

PeculiarBlend .  HAHAHAHAHAHAH What is up with boom boom dude?? 5 ball 5 runs D'oh #CWC2011 give strike to other batter man.

msarosh M.Sarosh Ebrahim  #Pakistan loosing it all in this batting Powerplay Murali & Kulasekara bowled well #Cwc2011

jammabbas Muhammad Abbas  Lala...Hit fours plzzz...no whopping.. #Pakistan #CWC2011

47th over

Kulusakera bowls this over. The Lankans are bowling very well and making it difficult for Misbah/Afridi to hit any boundaries. Pakistan 245/5.  Afridi whacks the last ball of the over for a four. Relief! Keep those coming.

46th over

Muralitharan bowls his final over! Umar Akmal caught out by Dilshan. What a tragedy! Afridi needs to show his magic. Pakistan 240/5. Boom Boom Afridi comes to bat.

45th over

Kulasekara  bowling the over, Pakistan still not playing the big shots. Wake up, boys! This is not a Test match and you need a much bigger score against the Lankans. 233/4

44rd over

Pakistan take the powerplay! Time for some magic, 226/4 with Muralitharan bowling (and looking very competitive). Ahmed Shehzad has been called into run for Misbah.

43rd over

Mathews takes the ball. Pakistan have eight overs left and many boundaries left to score. 219/4

42nd over

Kulusekara bowls this over. Pakistan take singles (should be whacking boundaries). 216/4

Sports editor for The Express Tribune Faras Ghani writes "It’s hard to believe that Umar is still just 21 and relatively inexperienced but with so much responsibility and hopes resting on him." Come on, Umar!

41st over

Umar Akmal comes to bat.

Younus Khan caught out by Jayawardene, Herath bowling. Sad that he didn't make a century, we were hoping for it. Anyway, Afridi or Umar Akmal expected to come out now. This should be fun. Pakistan are 212/4

Herath bowls the over. Congratulations to Misbah on his half century! Pakistan are 212/3

40th over

Deadly spinner Muralitharan bowls this over. Good going on the partnership guys! 100 off 113 deliveries, Pakistan are 206/3

39th over

Pakistan to make 200! Well done, guys! Let's make it rain sixes and fours.

Ball handed over to spinner Herath. Quick running between the wickets Misbah and Younus! Time to clear the ball over the boundary, the Lankans are fielding well.

38th over

Praise coming for Younus from the commentary box as commentator says "Every team needs a player like Younus Khan to anchor the innings." Pakistan are 193/3.

Medium fast bowler Mathews takes the ball this over.

Twitter update:

nausherrahman Nausher Rahman  Sri Lanka looking strangely flat in their bowling. Pakistan could bat them out of the match here. #CWC2011

oa204 osama athar  are we gonna see a successful run chase? surely misbah has to play a bit fast #pakistan #cwc2011

siDDki Basit SiDiKi  remember we will not get granted 46 run of extras.... come on hit sum boundaries now #Pakistan #cwc2011

37th over

Herath bowls. Pakistan's run rate is 4.92 at 185/3

36th over

Perera bowls. "No need to panic, plenty of wickets in hand," says commentator Wasim Akram. Pakistan are 176/3.

35th over

Ball change. Herath bowls to Younus. Younus makes his 50 off 56 balls. Pakistan are 172/3

Commentators Ramiz Raja and Wasim Akram exchange cricket stories in the commentary box.

34th over

Perera bowls this over, Younus Khan clears the ball over the boundary for four. Pakistan are 169/3

33rd over

Pakistan are 164/3, still not boundaries.

32nd over

Spinner Muralitharan given the bowl once again. Pakistan are playing steadily with 155/3 and 4.97 runs per over.

Blogging for The Express Tribune, David Dwyer says:

Where do I start with Younus Khan? His flexibility is incredible. His aerobic endurance, while pounding out the distance on the hills of Bhurban, was extraordinary and his core strength is excellent.

Funnily enough, he’s a guy who has stayed away from injuries because maintaining fitness has always been important to him. His 313 against Sri Lanka in Karachi’s 35-plus heat and high humidity was a testament to his fitness.

31st over

Congrats on the 50 partnership to Younus and Misbah. Pakistan are 155/3 with Herath bowling.

On a side note, Chacha Cricket's enthusiasm is commendable. He just danced in the face of a camera for a good 30 seconds.

30th over

Muralitharan is given the ball again. Commentators say Pakistan will go to at least 260 runs.

29th over

Mathews bowls again, finally a four! Good going Younus Khan. Pakistan are 150/3.

On a separate note, have a look at The Express Tribune's World Cup competition if you want to win a free mug.

28th over

Batsmen Misbah and Younus playing a slow game, Pakistan are 142/3. Bring on the boundaries!

27th over

Pakistan are 132/3 at the end of the over. Misbah will be back on strike.

The spinners are given a rest as Mathews comes to bowl. Pakistan are 129/3 with a low run rate at 4.90

26th over

Muralitharan is given the ball. Pakistan's run rate has fallen to 4.93, Misbah and Younus are playing a very slow game. Wake up guys! 126/3

25th over

Herath takes the ball and Pakistan are 123/3. Twitterati still not over Akmal's dismissal:

jammabbas Muhammad Abbas  Kamran Akmal "ran down the track like a bull that had seen a red rag. #pakistan #cwc2011

Nadir_Hassan Nadir Hassan  Kamran Akmal's wicketkeeping part of the brain just took over his batting part of the brain. #cwc2011

24th over

Muralitharan bowls gain, Pakistan are 117/3.

23rd over

Pakistan are 113/3 Muralitharan bowling.

22nd over

Tribune reporter Fawad Hussain is at the stadium and tells us that stringent security measures have been taken to avoid any untoward incident. Hundreds of security officials including army personel have been deployed to ensure security during the match.

“We cannot take any risk and we have to ensure the match will be held in a befitting manner,’ says a security official.

Misbahul Haq comes to bat. Muralitharan bowls, run is slowing down 5.06.

21st over

Sri Lankan fans celebrate as Kamran Akmal is stumped by Sangakkara, delivery bowled Herath. Pakistan are 105/3. Twitterati react:

Dhrubo_masum Dhrubo masum  Really :)) RT @aminulahsan: I always have my heart in my mouth while watcing Pakistan bat. :( #cwc2011

zahid_jadoo Jadoo  Akmal throws his wicket! #Pakistan #Srilanka #icc #PkCricket#ICCWC2011 #CWC2011 #icc #odi #cricket #PakCric

parishna Pari herath strikes! #Pak 3 down now! and the dangerous akmal gone!#CWC2011 #Cricket go #SL!

20th over

Muralitharan bowls and Pakistan are 105/2.

18th over

Pakistan have made 100! Good going boys, the run rate is 5.30 and it's time to pick it up.

Herath bowls and Pakistan are 93/2 on the second delivery. Akmal hits a four! Well played.

17th over

Pakistan are 89/2, Younus goes on strike

16th over

Match resumes after break. K Akmal on strike while Kulasekara bowls, Pakistan are 81/2.

15th over

Break for drinks, here's a Pak vs Sla match from back in the day. Go, Team Green!

Younus Khan comes to the crease, Mathews is bowling. Pakistan are 79/2 with a 5.51 run rate.

14th over

What a mess up! Hafeez run out, delivery by Muralitharan. Pakistan 76/2. Ramiz Raja says "Shahid Afridi will not be a happy man in the dressing room."

13th over

Pakistan are 76/1, Mathews bowling. Run rate is 5.92

Here's the Twitter buzz:

seventhsamurai Vijay Venkataramanan  This Sri Lanka - Pakistan match is gonna b an absolute belter! might just see a good chase aftr a long time. #cwc2011 #cwc #wc2011#cricket

bagrat15 P. Bharathram  Sri Lankan fielding right on top. Saved atleast 6-8 runs thus far.#SLvsPAK #CWC2011 #enna

ShirazHassan Shiraz Hassan  For the first time ever #Pakistan is trending for good reasons ! Hail to Hafeez #cwc2011

gripusa Usman Bashir  the basic lesson professor is calling when we talk about running between the wickets #hafeez #CWC2011

12th over

Commentator Ramiz Raja says batsmen's body language is confident. Pakistan are 73/1 at the end of the over.

Akmal scores a boundary, delivery by Kulasekara. Pakistan are 70/1 with a 6.18 run rate.

11th over

Mathews bowls to Akmal, appeal for LBW unsuccessful on fourth delivery. Pakistan 65/1. Here's a funny tweet:

emokidlynn Lynn Landman  I don't think Kamran Akmal is wearing nearly enough sunscreen.#CWC2011

10th over

Hafeez scores yet another four on the third delivery bowled by Perera. Pakistan are 63/1. Keep the boundaries coming, Hafeez! Hafeez has scored 27 runs in 23 balls.

Ninth over

Pakistan are 59/1, Hafeez goes on strike.

Here's an interesting bit of news in the Times of India:

That Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi cancelled a scheduled pre-match press conference at 12.30 pm and joined his team for Friday prayers instead was illustrative of the fact that his boys know they are in for a huge scrap against hosts Sri Lanka.

Akmal whacks the ball for a four on the third delivery. Pakistan are 51/1

Eighth over

Pakistan 47/1 at the end of the over. Run rate is 6.00

Akmal clears the boundary for a four on the third delivery. Pakistan are 46/1, Perera bowling.

Run rate is 6.15, A=K Akmal on strike.

Seventh over

Paakistan are 38/1, Hafeez on strike. What a beautiful six! Bowler Kulasekara is not going to be pleased.

Sixth over

Ahmed Shehzad out! Caught behind by Sangakkara bowled by Perera. Pakistan are 28/1, Kamran Akmal comes to the crease.

Fifth over

Hafeez clears the ball over the boundary for a four. Pakistan are 28/0. Hafeez and Shehzad are playing well, keep at it guys!

Fourth over

Pakistan are 20/0

Here are some tweets:

akshay_khanna Akshay Khanna  by cwcpics #Malinga not playing but nevertheless mouth watering contest between #Pakistan & #SriLanka at #cwc2011. Should be a cracker..#cricket #FB

sougatabanerjee Sougata Banerjee @RahulBose1 A Pak victory at the #Premadasa #CWC2011

imrana001 imrana waheed #Pak win this one #cwc2011

zahid_jadoo Jadoo  Will Hafeez take charge in this over? #Pakistan #Srilanka #icc#PkCricket #ICCWC2011 #CWC2011 #icc #odi #cricket #odi#PakCric

Third over

Maiden over, Pakistan are 13/0.

Reporter for The Express Tribune Fawad Hussain is at the R Premadasa stadium and says the "real World Cup fun can be tasted today". He says the crowd is energetic and vibrant crowd and the 30, 000 seats are full . The stadium is expected to be jam-packed in the next few hours as thousands of fans are waiting outside for their turn to get inside the stadium.

Sri Lanka, being the host are getting all out support but there is some support for Pakistan as well from fans who have arrived all the way from back home.

Second over

Pakistan are 13/0, Shehzad faces wide delivery that goes for four.

First over

Shehzad and Hafeez are opening for Pakistan. Shehzad has scored the first boundary of the match. Pakistan are 5 for no loss.

Pakistan squad:

Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Kamran Akmal†, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi*, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar

Sri Lanka squad:

WU Tharanga, TM Dilshan, KC Sangakkara, DPMD Jayawardene, TT Samaraweera, LPC Silva, AD Mathews, NLTC Perera, KMDN Kulasekara, HMRKB Herath, M Muralitharan

Pakistan win the toss and decide to bat first! Good decision by skipper Shahid Afridi, considering batting first against Kenya proved to be very successful. Sri Lanka have decided not to play deadly bowler Malinga, and Pakistan have breathed a sigh of relief. Saeed Ajmal has again been excluded from the Pakistan squad.

The Hindu says stats are in Pakistan's favour:

History is stacked against Sri Lanka as it takes on Pakistan on Saturday in its first World Cup match against that country in 19 years. Pakistan has won each one of the six encounters when the teams have met in a World Cup match and the last game was in Perth in 1992.

Cricinfo.com writes:

Past records might suggest Pakistan have an edge - they have beaten Sri Lanka in each of their six encounters in the World Cups and have won their previous five games at the R Premadasa - but that will count for little.

Sri Lanka's advantage is that most of their players have had a taste of how the new track will fare during the domestic limited-over tournament held in January.

Times of India says the Pakistan's coach Waqar Younis does not think Muralitharan will be a big threat to the team.

"In the past if Muralitharan had plans for us, we have played really well against him in this country.

"I don't think we should worry about him that much, he is not 28 anymore," said Waqar of the 38-year-old off-spinner, who has 521 wickets in 342 one-day internationals -- a world record.

"It is not going to be easy for him any more. We are prepared not only for him but the entire team because we know it's an important match for us and we need to keep the momentum going."