Afridi, Ali whack Sri Lanka – Beat SL by 1 wicket and seal series 2-0…

Firm striking by Shahid Afridi (45) and Anwar Ali (46) turned the game around as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 1 wicket in a thrilling T20 played at R.Premadasa Stadium yesterday. Pakistan sealed the series 2-0.
Chasing 174 to win Pakistan were 40 for 5 in the 8th over, before Afridi started turning the tables as the visitors chased down the target in 19.2 overs, finishing with a six by Imad Wasim. Lasith Malinga again conceded most number of runs, 40 in his 4 overs of the match.
Afridi smashed a 22 ball 45 which included 4 sixes, as he guided Pakistan past 100 in 13.2 overs with a partnership of 61 runs for the 6th wicket with Mohammad Rizwan (17).
Anwar Ali continued from there on with 46 from just 17 balls which included 4 sixes and 3 fours as he added 58 for the 8th wicket with Imad Wasim taking Pakistan to get 8 in 8 balls to win.
Binura Fernando playing his 2nd T20 was given 6 runs to defend in the last over, but Wasim took only one ball to finish things off after Mohammad Irfan took a single off the first ball.
The visitors lost both their openers in the 3rd over as Binura Fernando took the middle stump off of Ahmed Shehzad, while Mukthar Ahmed gave an easy catch to Kapugedara at deep midwicket. Sri Lanka got two run outs, while Milinda Siriwardena foxed Shoaib Malik for an easy stumping, where the home team was in the driving seat.
Earlier in the inning, comeback man Chamara Kapugedera proved a point again with a breathtaking 25 ball 48 runs, while debutant Shehan Jayasooriya made 40 at a crucial stage as Sri Lanka made 172 for 7 in their quota of 20 overs.
Kapugedera who remained unbeaten in both the T20 games, had 4 sixes and 2 boundaries in his inning as he added 55 in 34 deliveries for the seventh wicket with Milinda Siriwardena (23), and another 27 in 11 balls for the seventh wicket, which elevated the home team total to 172 after being 65-4 at the half way mark.
Sri Lanka made 50 in 6.2 overs but slumped in the run rate due to a slow innings by Dhananjaya de Silva, while Thisara Perera who was promoted to number 5, scored just 1 run as Sri Lanka added only 15 runs in the next 22 deliveries.
Debutant Jayasooriya smashed four and six in the 11th over by skipper Shahid Afridi taking back the momentum in his 32 ball 40 which included 3 fours and 2 sixes, before the Siriwardena and Kapugedera show started.
Thilakaratne Dilshan was lucky early on as he was dropped by Mohammad Hafeez at short midwicket, but Dilshan returned the favour just one ball apart as he hit straight to him again in the same over.
Sri Lanka made two changes in the team as Shehan Jayasooriya and Dasun Shanka made their debuts for the injured Angelo Mathews and Kithuruwan Vithanage.

Scores

Sri Lanka:
K. Perera b Malik 19
T. Dilshan c Hafeez b Anwar 10
S. Jayasuriya c Imad b Tanvir 40
D. de Silva b Afridi 14
T. Perera st Rizwan b Malik 01
M. Siriwardana c Mukhtar b Irfan 23
C. Kapugedera not out 48
D. Shanaka run out 07
Extras: (lb3, w7) 10
Total (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 172
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-32, 3-61, 4-64, 5-90, 6-145, 7-172.
Bowling: Anwar 4-0-40-1, Tanvir 4-0-44-1, Malik 3-0-16-2, Irfan 4-0-31-1, Afridi 4-0-30-1, Imad 1-0-8-0

Scores

Pakistan:
Mukhtar Ahmed c Kapugedera b Fernando 04
Ahmed Shehzad b Fernando 07
Mohammad Hafeez run out 11
Shoaib Malik st K.Perera b Siriwardana 08
Umar Akmal run out 04
Mohammad Rizwan b T. Perera 17
Shahid Afridi b Jayasuriya 45
Imad Wasim not out 24
Anwar Ali c K. Perera b Malinga 46
Sohail Tanvir run out 01
Mohammad Irfan not out 01
Extras: (lb1, w5) 06
Total (for nine wickets, 19.2 overs) 174
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-16, 3-33, 4-40, 5-40 (Malik), 6-101, 7-107, 8-165, 9-167
Bowling: Fernando 3.2-0-33-2, Jayasuriya 4-0-37-1, T. Perera 4-0-27-1, Siriwardana 2-0-17-1, Vandersay 2-0-19-0, Malinga 4-0-40-1