Shoaib Malik scorched his way to a 23-ball fifty, Mohammad Amir scythed through Sri Lanka's chase, and Pakistan gave a raucous home crowd an evening to remember, as they trounced Sri Lanka by 36 runs
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Commentator: Nikhil Kalro
9.30pm This Pakistan team has been too good for Sri Lanka. In their green, Pakistan have just showed off. Their bowling might has been too strong, too powerful for Sri Lanka, who have been under-par right through the series. They were much better today in the first quarter of the match, but Pakistan won all the clutch moments, and when you do that, you generally win games.
Personnel and skill wise, Pakistan were a touch tooooo good for Sri Lanka in batting and bowling. Pakistan were also led well by Sarfraz. Sri Lanka next head to India for another tough series, but Pakistan have some time to savor this limited-overs leg.
Presentation time.
Shoaib Malik is the Man of the Match, and Man of the Series: "Playing in front of the home crowd and becoming Man of the Match, that's something. I'd like to thank the Sri Lankan team. This is something we've missed for so many years. I train every day, I don't miss my training sessions. If you look good, you always want that in your life. You have to take a couple of balls to get used to the conditions. That's something I missed in the previous game. Taking singles is the key of your role."
Thisara Perera: "It's a tough tour. For Pakistan fans, thanks for inviting us. My team-mates gelled like a family. Last three matches, we had to take a lot of positives. We need to do something for our batting unit."
Sarfraz Ahmed: "Playing at home is special. The kind of support we get, the people that come, it gives us a lot of happiness. The way our players are performing in crucial situations, it's good. The best thing is we are doing it in our country, in front of our fans. Our target was to play Faheem up as soon as we could. I'd like to thank the Sri Lanka team. The way our law enforcement have done their job, it will open doors for us, even to play a Test series."
Amir has four
Three slips, a gully and short leg
S Prasanna c †Sarfaraz Ahmed b Mohammad Amir 16 (8b 0x4 2x6) SR: 200.00
SS Pathirana c Mohammad Hafeez b Mohammad Amir 14 (10b 2x4 0x6) SR: 140.00
Ammar J: "What hope is this side going to give us. The only big runs were coming from Shanaka. The rest all singles! You can't expect to win a match like that. Look at Pakistan's batting order and how they smoothly got to 180 while these guys are struggling to get a boundary"
In his first international match in Pakistan, Mohammad Amir ensured the fans had plenty of reasons to cheer
Thilanga Sumathipala sent out a message of solidarity with Pakistan, reiterating that the PCB and and the government of Pakistan have stood by Sri Lanka in the past
Shoaib Malik scorched his way to a 23-ball fifty, Mohammad Amir scythed through Sri Lanka's chase, and Pakistan gave a raucous home crowd an evening to remember, as they trounced Sri Lanka by 36 runs
With roads sealed off and huge security convoys, the security arrangements provided to the Sri Lanka team are similar to the protocol followed for a presidential visit
The city might be gaining a new familiarity with the feeling of hosting international cricket, but there is additional meaning to this latest match, given the identity of the visiting team
