Pakistan 115 for 6 (Zafar 39, Zulfiqar 21, Athapaththu 2-20, Dilhari 2-24) beat Sri Lanka 113 for 6 (Athapaththu 34, Riasat 2-18) by four wickets
Unlike the first two games, where the bat had dominated, the difference here was with the ball. Whereas Pakistan’s spinners showed guile and discipline, Sri Lanka’s bowlers erred far more often in their lines and lengths and it was this that allowed Pakistan’s chase to flourish.
The powerplay itself brought a healthy 44 runs, the same as Sri Lanka’s effort in fairness but in a low-scoring game it was worth nearly 40% of the target. Where Pakistan bettered the hosts was, however, through the middle overs.
Kavindi was the first to go, holing out to a well-taken catch at extra cover, and then three balls later Athapaththu found deep square leg with a slog sweep. It was a calamitous over as far as Sri Lanka were concerned, and one they never recovered from.
Over the next eight overs they struggled to maintain the same tempo, and despite losing just three more wickets were only able to muster a further 40 runs to close out the innings; the death overs alone brought just 22 runs.
It was a period of play that coloured the rest of the game, as Athapaththu would bemoan after the game their inability on the day to set the tone and play the conditions accordingly. Pakistan, to their credit, showed a much better handle of the pitch, particularly Player of the Match Zafar, who acknowledged the conditions were not what they had come to expect but was pleased with how they adapted.
