Pakistan beat Sri Lanka, Pakistan won by 5 wickets (with 48 balls remaining)

The Pakistan team are on the field and ecstatic. They had a miserable World Cup on the field and had to face the shattering news of coach Bob Woolmer's death as well. They did well in the field, though they ended up conceding a bit too many in the final overs, but had enough ammunition with the bat while chasing. There were many blunders, especially with the run-outs, but Shahid Afridi and Akmal sealed the issue with an emphatic partnership. Afridi in such a mood can be one of the most dangerous sights in cricket while Akmal showed his maturity when faced with a mini-crisis.

Shoaib Malik's first game as captain was a memorable one. Sri Lanka, runners up in the recent World Cup, tried hard but were hit by a cyclone called Afridi towards the latter stages. Malinga Bandara will remember this game for long, one where he was smashed for 32 runs in an over, and Sri Lanka had no answers to Afridi's pyrotechniques. So Pakistan take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Join us for the second game on Sunday. Hope you enjoyed the coverage and I'm Siddhartha Vaidyanathan signing off for the day. Good night and good luck

42.1

5nb

Maharoof to Kamran, (no ball) FOUR runs

What a way to finish. Short ball and Akmal dismisses it with disdain, stands tall and clatters an imperious pull through midwicket for a four. It brings up his fifty and ends the match in style. Akmal and Afridi embrace each other in whoops of delight and are soon mobbed by spectators who invade the ground

Over42

9 runs

PAK 234/5CRR: 5.57 RRR: 0.25

Shahid Afridi 73 (34b 8x4 4x6)Kamran Akmal 47 (50b 7x4)

SL Malinga0/53 (9)

41.6

•

Malinga to Afridi, no run

short ball again, Afridi gives himself room and decides to have some fun with his defence. Stands there, like an emperor in his land, and pats it tamely to gully. A short ball is supposed to intimidate, here is seems to be a lark

41.5

Malinga to Kamran, 1 run

short one and pulled away to square leg for a single. Crisply done

41.4

Malinga to Afridi, 1 run

clubbed a full one through extra cover for a single

41.4

Malinga to Afridi, 1 wide

down the leg side, Afridi moves across and tries to flick it away past the keeper but he can't get to it. It's too wide

41.3

Malinga to Afridi, FOUR runs

Now the umpire needs to take cover. Backs away and sees the short of a length ball, forehand top-spin down the ground that time and it judders down the ground for another four. Boom, boom all the way

41.2

Malinga to Kamran, 1 run

finds the gap through cover and dabs a full ball for a single in that region

41.1

Malinga to Afridi, 1 run

slower ball and Afridi manages to read that one, driven well down the ground

Over41

8 runs

PAK 225/5CRR: 5.48 RRR: 1.22

Shahid Afridi 67 (30b 7x4 4x6)Kamran Akmal 45 (48b 7x4)

MF Maharoof1/42 (8)

40.6

Maharoof to Afridi, 1 run

short arm pull, crisply struck but there's a sweeper there and they're kept down to one

40.5

Maharoof to Afridi, FOUR runs

Pulped that one, clubbed a full-length ball down the ground and Maharoof does well to get out of the way. That could have injured him. The ball screams away to the straight boundary and almost takes the cameraman along the way. More boom, boom

40.4

Maharoof to Afridi, 2 runs

dropped, that would have been a sensational catch but he grassed it while falling over. Afridi slaps a short one over cover, can't get the timing and it soars towards extra cover. Amarasingle dives full length, gets his hands around it but fluffs it while his arms hits the ground

40.3

•

Maharoof to Afridi, no run

short ball, he ducks under it. Good testing ball

40.2

•

Maharoof to Afridi, no run

slower ball, well disguised, Afridi backs away but is fooled, doesn't miss the stumps by much

Change of ball now. Surely Afridi's bat has done some damage. The question is: does it even matter now

40.1

Maharoof to Kamran, 1 run

Turned away to deep square leg for a single

Afridi went from 25 off 17 balls to 57 off 23. Now that's the way you bring up your fifty.

Over40

9 runs

PAK 217/5CRR: 5.42 RRR: 1.90

Shahid Afridi 60 (25b 6x4 4x6)Kamran Akmal 44 (47b 7x4)

SL Malinga0/44 (8)

39.6

Malinga to Afridi, 2 runs

short again, Afridi pulls this time and the top edge flies towards fine leg again. Again it's Amarasinghe but he can't get under it and manages to stop it from spinning away for a four

39.5

Malinga to Kamran, 1 run

short and pulled away, good bouncer from Malinga and it induces the top edge, Amarasinghe tries to lunge for it but it bounces just short

39.4

Malinga to Kamran, FOUR runs

slapped through cover, Akmal joins the party this time, finds the gap through mid-off and cover and the ball races away for another four

39.3

•

Malinga to Kamran, no run

tries to go through the off and is rapped on the pads

39.2

Malinga to Afridi, 1 run

slower ball and he picks it up well, driven down the ground

39.1

Malinga to Kamran, 1 run

glided to the off side for a single

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 1st ODI at Abu Dhabi, May 18 2007 - Match Result