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- PAK vs SL, 21st Jun 2009
The Lord's: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets to win the World Twenty20 Final at Lord's.
Shahid Afridi capped another fine all-round performance when he made 54 not out from 40 balls to follow 1-20 with the ball.
Sri Lanka had appeared to give themselves a fighting chance when they reached 138-6 having been 32-4 at one stage.
That was not to account for a highly professional batting effort in response as Pakistan got home with eight balls to spare.
Pakistan's reply got off to a contrasting start from their opponent as Kamran Akmal hammered Angelo Mathews's third ball through the covers for a boundary as eight were taken from the opening over.
Lasith Malinga immediately replaced Mathews at the Nursery End and he bowled a much tighter first over - conceding just one - as Pakistan were pegged back.
Isuru Udana's second over then tipped the balance in favour of the batting side as 14 were taken from it - though not all of the runs were scored convincingly.
That forced Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara to take the pace off the ball through spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis.
Akmal greeted Mendis by depositing him over midwicket for six with the final now entering its pivotal phase.
The Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman carried on the attack to the Sri Lankan bowlers when he flicked Udana over midwicket for the second six of the innings.
With the situation reaching a critical position, the Sri Lankans made a belated breakthrough when Akmal's confidence got the better of him as he advanced down the track to Sanath Jayasuriya's first ball and was stumped for 37 (28 balls).
Pakistan continued to have the better of things against Mendis (who finished with 0-34) when his second over went for the 11 - including two perfectly timed boundaries by Shahzaib Hasan.
The opener was another to then suffer from a rush of blood when he top-edged a sweep off Muralitharan to short fine-leg at the start of the next over for 19.
Pakistan reached the halfway stage on 65-2, needing a further 74 from the last 10 overs.
Runs began to dry up - despite the presence of the big-hitting Afridi and Shoaib Malik at the crease - as the required rate hit eight for the first time at the start of the 13th over.
Clearly risks needed to be taken and Afridi was the right man for the moment - swinging Jayasuriya over midwicket for six and then cover-driving him for a boundary off the next ball.
Pakistan entered the last five overs on 103-2, needing another 36 from 30 balls.
With 19 runs needed from 14 balls, Afridi once again lifted the pressure on the batting side when he first swung Udana over midwicket for six and then tickled a no-ball to the leg-side boundary (bringing up his 50 off 37 balls in the process).
Just seven were then required off the last two overs and that equation was reduced to one from nine balls with Afridi fittingly on strike.
A leg bye was perhaps not the final flourish the batsman would have wished for but his joyous reaction at the end suggested he was not overly disappointed.
Afridi's partnership with Malik (24 not out) of 76 off 59 balls was an effort worthy of winning any one-day final.
Sri Lanka's earlier effort, after winning the toss, had centred around Sangakkara, who top-scored with 64 not out (off 52 balls) as the batting side recovered well following a disastrous start to their innings.
Mohammad Aamer opened up at the Pavilion End with a menacing wicket maiden, peppering Tillakaratne Dilshan with a succession of short-pitched deliveries before removing him off the fifth ball.
The right-hander attempted a pull but could only find Shahzaib at short fine-leg, who took a comfortable catch.
Disaster struck again for the Sri Lankans in the second over when Jehan Mubarak, elevated up the order, was removed by Abdul Razzaq for a second-ball duck. The left-hander got a leading edge, as he looked to work the ball to leg, and skied a second catch to Shahzaib, this time in the extra cover position.
Aamer didn't concede a run until his ninth ball, but then two boundaries came off successive deliveries from the bat of Sangakkara.
Jayasuriya struck the first six of the innings when he pulled Razzaq over midwicket at the start of the fourth over.
Razzaq got ample revenge off the fifth ball of the over, however, when Jayasuriya (17) edged a cut-shot onto his stumps.
Mahela Jayawardena (1) became Razzaq's third victim when he steered the ball into the hands of Misbah-ul-Haq standing in a second slip position.
Sri Lanka ended the Powerplay on a lamentable 34-4.
There was no let-up from Pakistan as that heralded the entry of spin duo Afridi and Saeed Ajmal into the attack - both among the seven leading wicket-takers in the tournament going into the final.
Malik replaced Ajmal at the Nursery End for the 10th over, at which point Chamara Silva swept the off-spinner for a boundary to bring up the 50.
Umar Gul then, in turn, replaced Malik as the anticipated arrival of the seamer was delayed no more. As has become a common theme, Gul's impact was instant as he removed Silva (14) with his third legitimate delivery when the batsman pulled tamely to midwicket.
Afridi continued the rout when he bowled Udana with a googly for one.
Sri Lanka went into the last five overs on 79-6 - with Sangakkara their last hope of posting a defendable total.
The left-hander brought up his half-century (44 balls) with a flick off his legs to the boundary that just evaded the leap of Shazaib at midwicket.
Sangakkara was assisted by Mathews (35 not out off 24 balls) in a stand of 68 for the sixth-wicket as 59 were accumulated from the last five overs to give Sri Lanka some hope with their potent bowling attack now required to pull one last rabbit out of the hat.
Alas, for them, it was not to be as Pakistan claim a victory that will not only constitute ample consolation for losing the inaugural World Twenty20 Final, in 2007, but also salvage some lost pride to a nation ravaged by recent terrorist attacks.
Now the world thinks of cricket when it thinks of Pakistan.
