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

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

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

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

clubbed a full one through extra cover for a single

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

short ball, he ducks under it. Good testing ball

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

Turned away to deep square leg for a single

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

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

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

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

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

glided to the off side for a single