38.1 overs Sri Lanka 177 for 3 (A Gunawardene 88) beat Pakistan 176 all out (S Jayasuriya 3 for 30) by 7 wickets.
Scorecard For the third match in two days, it was a no-contest. Sri Lanka overhauled Pakistan's total of 176 in the 39th over. Avishka Gunawardene was out towards the finish for 88, as he tried to reach his hundred before Sri Lanka, then 16 runs short, reached their target.

The only time in the match that Pakistan had the upper hand was immediately after the toss. The coin flipped Waqar Younis's way, and he opted to bat, which must have seemed like half the battle won. The last five Pakistan-Sri Lanka matches in Sharjah were won by the team batting first.

Their luck with the coin, however, was fast dissipated by their incompetence with the bat. Shahid Afridi started with his customary belligerence but, before long, it all began to unravel in typical subcontinental style. Inspired perhaps by the way their neighbours capitulated yesterday, the Pakistani batsmen began throwing it away -- crumbling to 67 for 5 by the 18th over. Each of those wickets fell due to the batsmen's indiscretion: Vaas, the best of the bowlers, remained wicketless, while the wayward Dilhara Fernando was gifted three early presents.

Yousuf Youhana, a batsman who combines subcontinental flair with a resilience which seems almost Australian, kept his wits around him, and began rebuilding the innings in the company of Abdur Razzaq. The obvious stategy would have been to milk the bowling for 15 overs or so, but Sri Lanka proved a reluctant cow. Muttiah Muralitharan and Russel Arnold, who bowled the middle overs, kept the runs down, and the batsmen eventually realised they'd have to resort to extreme measures to keep the scoreboard moving.

Youhana stepped out and hoisted Murali for a massive straight six in the 27th over, and Razzaq got into the act in the 30th, as he went down on his knees and hoicked Russell Arnold over deep midwicket. But Youhana departed in the very next over for 47, sweeping Sanath Jayasuriya into the safe palms of Vaas at deep backward square-leg (117 for 6).

Wasim Akram entered, and did not potter around for long, as he unleashed an explosive lofted off-drive for four off Jayasuriya. He perished in the same over, for 7, when an attempted hoick over midwicket meekly fell into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene (128 for 7).

Pakistan's hopes now rested on Abdur Razzaq, but, on 27, Razzaq made the cardinal error of trying to cut Muralitharan against the spin, and got a nick which Romesh Kaluwitharana eagerly snapped up (141 for 8). Waqar Younis and Shoaib Malik then had a 29-run partnership during which they rotated the strike magnificently, a somewhat redundant act in the slog overs. Waqar was yorked by Jayasuriya for 18, a fate he normally inflicts on others (170 for 9). Shoaib Akhtar was run out soon afterwards, as Pakistan were all out for 176.

Sri Lanka might have expected to overhaul this total at a canter, but they began at a crawl. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis started with a hostile spell of fast bowling, playing with a fire that evoked memories of a decade ago. There were hardly any hit-me balls -- Sanath Jayasuriya freed his arms occasionally, but nowhere near as often as he usually does. Avishka Gunawardene, normally every bit as belligerent as his captain, looked pedestrian against bowling of the very highest quality.

Shoaib Akhtar replaced Waqar in the ninth over, and began with a fiery bouncer that had Jayasuriya diving down onto his haunches more than ducking. While Shoaib maintained the pressure Waqar and Wasim had imposed, Abdur Razzaq, who came on in the 13th over, released it by conceding 10 runs. No matter, for Shoaib picked up Jayasuriya in the next over, as Afridi got in the way of an uppish drive through extra cover, and took a fine, low catch (43 for 1). Jayasuriya was out for 19.

Avishka Gunawardene opened out after Jayasuriya's dismissal. Looking like a surly juvenile refused entry to the prom, he vented his fury on the wayward Abdur Razzaq. A stunning straight-drive for four in the 15th over signalled the start of an assault. Between the 17th and the 20th overs, he went berserk, taking seven boundaries off Razzaq and Akhtar. The 50 partnership came up – and Marvan Atapattu had contributed just 6.

Bovine benevolence took over as the batsmen then proceeded to milk the bowling, swaggering merrily between wickets like cowgirls in love. Atapattu was out off the last ball of the 28th over for 21, caught at midwicket by Umar off the bowling of Razzaq (121 for 2). Gunawardene and Mahela Jayawardene waddled on towards the target, until Gunawardene was out 12 short of his 100 (161 for 3). Arnold joined Jayawardene to finish it off.

With two emphatic wins, Sri Lanka must be favourites for the tournament. But this is a strange game and Sharjah, more than any other venue, has seen the form-book overturned time and time again. Don't count Pakistan out yet.

Amit Varma is assistant editor of Wisden.com India.

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