Pakistan vs Sri Lanka highlights: PAK win by 5 runs vs SL but knocked out of World Cup

Pavan Ratnanayake has fallen. It was a leg-cutter from Afridi which the batter hit straight to the long-on boundary. The wicket has come a bit too late for Pakistan, it showed in the reaction of Shaheen Shah Afridi. What a chase Sri Lanka has put on in this game. One of those starts of Asalanka and Mishara if would have gone on for longer, Sri Lanka might even have won this game. Like Pakistan, it does seem like Sri Lanka's batting performance has come too late. Shadab has come back to bowl the 19th over.

Well, it is over, folks. Pakistan are out of the World Cup. It did look hopeful while Abrar was bowling, but once he was done, none of the other bowlers could have made the same impact. They played a good game today, but not good enough. The century from Farhan has gone in vain. As per the current situation, Sri Lanka is coming all guns blazing to win this game. Shanaka is enjoying himself, and Rathnanayeke is playing a superb hand. He has looked so calm and composed in the chase. The crowd is buzzing here in Pallekele.

Abrar has single-handedly kept Pakistan in this defence here. He picked up the wicket of Kamindu Mendis in that final delivery. It was bowled extremely slowly, and the ball kept low, and Mendis lost his stumps. As we update, Liayanage has fallen here, and it is Mohammad Nawaz who got the breakthrough. He played a ball which turned extremly sharply in that over and that dismissal was a product of that where he tried to give himself room and push the ball through covers and the ball went on to hit the middle stump.

Charith Asalanka has got a nice little innings going here. He is playing some crisp shots through the leg-side, which are flying into the stands. If he bats for a little longer, it might get a bit concerning for Pakistan. The dew too is taking an effect here, and Pakistan could have played an extra pace both Usman Tariq and Abrar on this wicket, and in these dewy conditions seem like they are playing one spinner too many. Intresting times in this game. Only four bowlers used by Agha thus far he has the option of Shadab he can turn to.

Naseem Shah has started quite nicely here. He is mixing up his quicker ones with the slower ones brilliantly, and the wicket seems to be responding, which is pretty surprising. As we update, Kamil Mishara, who was batting well, has fallen. Abrar Ahmed slipped in a carrom ball, which Mishara tried to cut and lost his off-stump. Sri Lanka has lost its second wicket in the powerplay here. Pakistan are on the right track, they will be hoping to do more of the same and keep it simple. We have seen Shadab Khan giving a speech to his players as the wicket.

Nissanka has fallen here. The batter gave himself room and gave it away too early, and Naseem Shah was extremely smart about the way he went about the business thereafter. He delivered a slower one, and Nissanka scooped the ball straight to the cover fielder. Pakistan has got the start they would want here. They need to keep chipping away at the wickets here if they have to win this game. Salman Agha needs to get his tactics as captain spot on. Shaheen has come back for his second over and he is being slammed around there is not a lot to work with the bowlers.

At the moment, we are really happy. We were looking for 200 and now we’ve got like 212, so so far so good, but we have to bowl well. I knew only yesterday at training (talking about when he got told about opening the batting), so Mike (Hesson) told me that you will open tomorrow, and he said, are you ready? I said, yes, of course, I’m ready for any position. Our game plan was very simple. We were not going at every ball, we were just looking for good cricketing shots and we were thinking that if we have wickets in hand, then we can score big. So that was totally our plan, and with time, after 50 runs, then we thought that we can score more. So that’s it. There was nothing very big in our mind because we knew that if we have wickets in hand, we can do anything. I think it changes with the new ball (Talking about the pitch). It’s not that difficult to play, and as the ball gets older, it’s not that easy. But I personally think that the wicket was not that extraordinarily good for batting. But yeah, I think we scored enough runs and now we have to defend.

That is a pretty canny over from Shanaka, he dug the ball into the wicket and managed to pick up a couple of wickets. This has been a decent comeback from Sri Lanka. As we update, Farhan has fallen here. This will make a difference, they are losing a lot of momentum here the Pakistanis.

Madhushanaka has come in and picked up Nafay here. It is not easy to go right away from ball one after the bowling, and he tried to whack one into the stands and got caught on the boundary. The important thing for Pakistan they still have set batter Farhan in. Shadab is the new batter who has walked in. He can really hurt Sri Lanka from this situation. He is a genuine six-hitter, and if Sri Lanka won't hit their mark he will pepper that mid-wicket to long-on boundaries quite regulalry for the rest of the night.

Against New Zealand, Sri Lanka has lost their plot in the final overs, and if it does the same today, Pakistan will be posting more than 220. Both Fakhar and Faran are hitting the ball so brutally that they both might end up with tons here. And those New Zealand fans and players who are watching will be hurting. Well, they had their opportunity and the game in their hands, but ended up losing it out of nowhere, giving Pakistan an opportunity, and the Men in Green are so far making the most of it. They are ticking all the boxes here.

Misfields have started to creep in now in Sri Lanka's fielding. They have been quite ordinary, and it is unfolding for them. Already, there has been plenty of chat about them and the cricket they're playing, and it does look like one of those Test match sides that lost the series and are playing in the final Test, where they get thumped within a couple of days if Sri Lanka won't show some fight here, it might get quite embarrassing for them. These are the players they have carried for a while, and nothing to show for in terms of trophies, and they have not reached a semifinal since 2012. They need a massive reset on how they want to go about their cricket with Sri Lankans going forward.

Farhan has looked so composed today; that is what you get when a batter is in form and brimming with confidence. When he showed up in the Asia Cup for the first time, he did show a few weaknesses in his technique espically against the ball coming back in, but this tournament, he looked water-tight with that area and also has maintained the strike-rate. And come the pressure game, he is stepping up for Pakistan here. Sri Lanka, which has looked out of sorts in this Super 8 phase, continues to do so in these first eight overs.

Decent start for Pakistan. They will need at least 180 here today to give themselves a chance. Even if there is no NRR pressure, if they have to win the game today, they will need 180, given the nature of the wicket. Already three overs into the game, the ball is coming nicely onto the bat. Both Madhushanka and Chameera bowled the first three, and the ball has been going in straight lines, and Farhan has gotten himself a start. He has been the highest run scorer in this tournament, and he needs to come good for Pakistan if they have to post a big total.

Well, we are all set. It is a sensible call from Sri Lanka to chase here. It is a different ground from Premadasa. The new ball will move, and it will not turn as much later in the innings. Batting will get easier, and it is an open ground; there will be dew. Well, for Pakistan, all that should not matter; they should get a total on board first here and with the ball create those early breakthroughs.

We gonna bowl first. It is a good pitch and later on there might be dew as well. We got some good players in our lineup and of course, we need to do our basics right. So yeah, we didn’t do the basics well enough to pull out a win in the last two games. But here, we know we need to make it right in all three departments. They (the fans) still always love us regardless of whether we win or lose, so it’s good motivation, I think. Thank you very much for all the fans here. So yeah, we are looking forward to the game. Two changes. Kamil Mishara comes in for Kusal Mendis, he pulled out with the injury, and Dushan Hemantha out, Janith (Liyanage) comes in.

Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara(w), Charith Asalanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka(c), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka

".... any such act which targets a player's family is a very shameful thing. Because the player always wants to do good on the ground. If he doesn't perform well on any given day, that doesn't mean you should target their families. And I don't think this should happen at all," Mirza said ahead of Pakistan's crucial Super Eights match against Sri Lanka.

“If we talk about Babar Azam, he is not number four. Why are you taking a personality above Pakistan? Harry Brook also played. He did not break the momentum. You saw his shots. Senior players are like this. Babar has played more than 100 matches. Koi baccha thodi hai. He scored 25 runs in 24 balls. What was this? Were there demons in the pitch? Were there any mystery spinners? There was nothing. The fact that this is not the number of Babar Azam and neither has he any form and neither has he given any impact performances,” Shehzad said on the show Haarna mana hai.

“You’ve made things so easy for Saim Ayub. He’s batting the way people do in the nets—if he feels like it, he plays a 'no-look' shot; if he feels like it, he charges down or swings wildly while standing still. It’s as if there’s no pressure of an international game, no sense of responsibility at all.

"Let’s discuss a few things that I’ve been talking about for at least a year now. Some points have been raised for a year, others for four or five years—like fitness, game awareness, tactics, and good captaincy. It feels like with every new captain who comes along, we end up saying, 'The previous one was actually better.' When you look at their captaincy, their decision-making, their formations, and their style of play, and then you see the limits of their potential—it is very, very unfortunate. Up until now, they have been playing in tailor-made conditions, which is why they sometimes boast about rankings or other trivial achievements. They even did a lap of honor after beating Bangladesh. Can you imagine doing a lap of honor with a trophy after beating Bangladesh? You wouldn't even do that against Australia in a bilateral series. When such small-mindedness exists within the team's immediate leadership, where can you possibly go?”

“If he isn't giving Usman Tariq the sixth over, how much 'rocket science' do you need? We have all played the game; we all understand cricket. But again, I don't think he is cut out for this, and I don't see him remaining captain in six weeks' time. What will happen is that the entire blame will now be shifted onto Salman Agha. The management will quietly slip away, and those who appointed him will escape accountability. This is exactly why you pick a 'weak' person for the job. You want weak people in high positions so that when it’s time to fire someone, you can easily pin the blame on them. Now, they will dump the failure of the entire World Cup on Salman’s shoulders. That is how history repeats itself.”

"There is a lot of hurt all round," said Sangakkara in his post. "The fans devastated , disappointed , angry. The players are hurting badly too. I have been in similar dressing rooms. It’s not easy. But this responsibility comes with the turf. It’s a burden and a great privilege to represent your country and your people. There is a lot of work to be done at all levels to course correct. We can’t do the same things over and over and expect different results when the cricket world around us has evolved so quickly. We haven’t adapted and the danger is irrelevance."

"If we are going to a World Cup plan, we should go with long-term goals. It's hard to play a tournament like this with short-term goals," he said. On his own role, he remained measured: "As a captain, I have no idea how long I'll be a captain. That's decided by the selectors. I'm happy I had this opportunity and that I could captain at a World Cup."

Reflecting on conditions, particularly at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Shanaka said the team had expected better batting surfaces. "The best batsman in Sri Lanka are here. No one is forced to play cricket. We also want to do something for the country," he said.

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam/Khawaja Nafay, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz/Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza/Naseem Shah, Usman Tariq

Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Charith Asalanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dushan Hemantha, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Kusal Perera, Pramod Madushan, Janith Liyanage, Kamil Mishara

Pakistan Squad: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan(w), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq, Khawaja Nafay, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf