Youhana and Malik seal Pakistan win

Pakistan 233 for 2 (Youhana 107*, Malik 86*) beat Sri Lanka 232 for 9 (Jayasuriya 53, Atapattu 46, Malik 3-32) by 8 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An accomplished allround performance by Shoaib Malik, and a century of faultless grace and measured intent by Yousuf Youhana, brought Pakistan their third straight victory in the Paktel Cup, against a Sri Lankan team that has had the edge over them in recent times.

Sri Lanka made a good start after winning the toss and choosing to bat, but some less-than-committed batting, and a probing and skilful spell of offspin bowling by Malik in the middle overs, led them to founder, and eventually they managed only 232. Given a slow outfield and enervating conditions - most of the game was played in 40-degree heat - Sri Lanka might have stretched Pakistan even with this total, but after they had made two early breakthroughs Malik and Youhana came together, and took the game away with a partnership of 200, the highest stand for any wicket in a one-day international at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Sri Lanka were playing their first game since their loss to England at the Champions Trophy, and Marvan Atapattu caused some surprise with his decision to bat first. The ground had absorbed plenty of rain in the days leading up to the game, and what with a 9.30am start, it was almost certain that conditions would help the bowlers in the first hour. Atapattu's counterpart Inzamam-ul-Haq, returning to the team after missing a match with a groin strain, was somewhat surprised at this decision, and had to confirm it a second time from Atapattu.

But after the early loss of Avishka Gunawardene, always in trouble against the moving ball, Sri Lanka actually prospered in the first hour of play. Although both Naved-ul-Hasan and Mohammad Sami kept the ball up to the batsmen, and runscoring was not easy, some characteristically enterprising batting by Sanath Jayasuriya kept the run rate ticking along at just over four an over. Jayasuriya employed his favourite drive through extra cover and pick-up stroke over square leg whenever he saw the opportunity, and Atapattu also looked in gorgeous touch - he seemed to check one square-drive off Naved, but it beat point and raced away for four - and worked the ball around adeptly for singles. When Shoaib Akhtar came on at first change, Jayasuriya greeted him with a six and a four, and after 15 overs Sri Lanka had reached 71.

But as the morning progressed the heat grew stronger and ever more enervating, and seemed to take a toll on Jayasuriya. Shortly after he brought up his fifty, off 78 balls, he gave up his wicket in one of the most disappointing ways possible. Standing at the non-striker's end, he backed up a couple of yards as Atapattu came down the pitch to drive Malik, and made no attempt to return to his crease as the ball was hit straight back to the bowler. He almost seemed to want an end to his innings, and Malik happily obliged (113 for 2).

With Jayasuriya gone, the Sri Lankan innings floundered, and lost its way against Malik's offspin. Atapattu advanced down the wicket to him again but found himself short of the pitch of the ball and chipped a catch to midwicket (129 for 3); Mahela Jayawardene feinted a forward movement and laid back to cut, only to be beaten by the sharp spin and find his off bail disturbed (165 for 4); and Tillakaratne Dilshan scratched around for a while before edging a cut (177 for 5). With the outfield slower than normal, boundaries were hard to come by, and the batsmen could not work enough singles to keep up an acceptable run rate. When Kumar Sangakkara was bowled for 38 attempting a wild slog, Pakistan knew they were in control of the game, and they bowled out the last ten overs competently without conceding too many.

Malik finished with 3 for 32, but there was more to come from him. Since Bob Woolmer's appointment as coach of the Pakistan team four months ago, Malik has been not only the first-choice spinner but also the regular No. 3 batsman - in effect he is now the player on whom the greatest responsibility has been thrust. After being on the field for 50 overs, he was out on the ground again in the 11th over of Pakistan's innings after Chaminda Vaas had trapped Yasir Hameed in front (33 for 1).

Sri Lanka soon had another success to celebrate, when Nuwan Zoysa nailed Salman Butt in the next over. Pakistan only managed 49 in the first 15 overs as Malik and Youhana settled in, but thereafter the two batsmen upped the tempo and paced the run-chase to a nicety. With the target not an especially demanding one, it was more important that Pakistan kept their wickets intact, and there was hardly a risky stroke as Youhana and Malik proceeded neck-and-neck to their half-centuries. Atapattu shuffled his bowlers around without reward, and none of his spinners, including the usually reliable Jayasuriya, could get him a breakthrough. But Atapattu was also guilty of not putting enough pressure on the batsmen with fielders in the 30-yard circle. With only four men saving the single for most part, Malik and Youhana were able to rotate the strike more easily than they should have.

Youhana hit only two fours on the way to a measured fifty off 70 balls, but then proceeded to attack the bowling with relish and assurance, deliberately lofting drives over the infield, and launching Upul Chandana for six over wide long-on. When he reached 66 he became the second-fastest Pakistan player to reach 6000 runs in one-day internationals, after Saeed Anwar, and quicker than all-time greats like Javed Miandad and Inzamam. He duly completed a superbly-paced hundred off 112 balls, and as Pakistan reached the final stretch Malik joined the fun, hitting powerfully down the ground and walking around his crease to manufacture shots around the wicket. The last scoring shot of the game brought up the 200 partnership. After a point, Sri Lanka were never in the game.

Pakistan are now through to the finals, and can enjoy a well-deserved rest while Sri Lanka occupy themselves with the not-so-daunting task of beating Zimbabwe in the next two games to be sure of joining them there.