Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan: Winners and Losers from 2nd T20
Pakistan completed a series sweep with a thrilling one-wicket win in the second Twenty20 against Sri Lanka.
Imad Wasim and Mohammad Irfan steered the tourists to a target of 173 with four balls to spare at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
At one stage Pakistan had needed 66 from the final 35 balls before Anwar Ali came out to bat at nine to turn the tide in his team's favour.
The result means Pakistan have recorded series victories over Sri Lanka in Test, one-day and T20 action on the tour.
Here are our winners and losers from the final game of the series.
Winner: Anwar Ali (Pakistan)
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Pakistan owes a great debt to Anwar Ali—the tail-ender changed the entire complexion of the game during a whirlwind innings of 46.
The right-hander resurrected his side's fading run chase with some brutal hitting, launching three fours and four sixes as he made his runs from just 17 deliveries.
Although he was dismissed with the score on 165, Anwar's onslaught left Pakistan within touching distance of victory.
He had taken one for 40 from his four overs with the ball earlier in the match, but his batting heroics really caught the eye.
Loser: Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
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Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga has had a difficult time of late.
The paceman was left out of the side for the final one-dayer of the recent series and, as captain, he was unable to inspire his side in the Twenty20 format.
He leaked 40 runs from his four overs on Saturday, and although he did dismiss Anwar Ali, the tail-end batsman had already hit him for 13 runs off the previous four deliveries he had faced from the bowler.
Malinga finished the short series with an economy rate of 10.75, the highest of any Sri Lankan bowler used.
Winner: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
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Having walked to the crease with his side wobbling at 40 for five, Shahid Afridi played a real captain's knock to rescue Pakistan's run chase.
The veteran all-rounder made 45 from just 22 deliveries, including hitting four sixes.
Shehan Jayasuriya eventually ended Afridi's fun, denying the batsman the chance to reach his first T20 half-century for Pakistan since June 2012.
Afridi also picked up a wicket with the ball earlier on, his leg-spin accounting for Dhananjaya de Silva.
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Loser: Mukhtar Ahmed (Pakistan)
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Although Pakistan ended up winning the series 2-0, Mukhtar Ahmed wasn't able to contribute much to his side's success.
The opening batsman managed just four from seven deliveries in the second match, meaning his tally for the two games finished up as a paltry six runs.
Binura Fernando tempted Mukhtar to have a go at a bouncer, only for his attempted hook to be spooned up to deep mid-wicket.
The 22-year-old had come into the series in good form, having made scores of 62 and 83 at home in T20 games against Zimbabwe in May.
Winner: Chamara Kapugedera (Sri Lanka)
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Chamara Kapugedera made a successful return to the Sri Lanka side after being recalled to the Twenty20 squad for the series.
The batsman—whose last T20 appearance before the series was in June 2012—followed up his unbeaten 31 in the first fixture with a career-best 48 not out on Saturday.
He hit four sixes and two fours in his 25-ball knock that helped Sri Lanka reach a respectable 172 for seven. When he had walked out to the middle, the hosts had been 90 for five.
Per S Rajesh of ESPN Cricinfo, Kapugedera's strike rate of 192 is the second-best for a Sri Lankan player in a T20 against Pakistan when facing a minimum of 20 deliveries.
Losers: Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka will be glad to see the back of Pakistan.
The tourists have been successful in all three formats during the trip, including winning the Test series 2-1.
It seemed the home side would at least avoid defeat in the T20 series when they reduced their opponents to 40 for five inside eight overs of the run chase in Colombo.
But, despite appearing to be in complete control, Sri Lanka let the chance of a morale-boosting victory that would've squared the series slip from their grasp.
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