PAK VS SL - 2nd ODI, Pakistan v Sri Lanka in UAE, 2017

Nine losses in a row for Sri Lanka. They are just swirling down a downward spiral which has no end. Today was their best chance to pull one back and somehow they managed to mess it up. Tharanga and Co. need something special to get out of this rut else another whitewash is on the cards. That's it from us. Until next time, take care and Adios!

Sarfraz: The match position was such that I had to be harsh on the players (on shouting at his players). But the boys understand the situation and I even apologise to them after the game. We didn't bat well today and collapsed. Shadab showed his composure and Azam has been playing well. No praise is enough for Azam. He has to adjust at the Test level and he is still a youngster, who will only improve with experience. The options were available but we had to bat better. We'll see how the conditions are for the next match and decide whether to bat first or second. We try to give as much confidence as possible to the youngsters and once they have our confidence, it is seen on the field.

Tharanga: The bowlers bowled really well to keep them to 219. If we had hung on with the bat, it became easier with the dew. Thirimanne's wicket was the turning point. The spinners made use of the track pretty well. Vandersay batted well and supported me. It is a good moment for me but disappointed that we lost the game.

Shadab Khan, Man of the Match: I was not getting an opportunity to bat and I thought today was my first and last chance. It was just a simple plan - to bat out 50 overs. We are bowling well as a group and we were confident of defending the target. In the team meeting we had discussed to bowl the googly to Chandimal. My aim is to win the player of the series. I bowl according to the situation.

Looking how Sri Lanka and Pakistan's batting struggled to cope with the surface, the innings Babar Azam played stands out even more. He never looked in any sort of discomfort and took his time to build an innings, Shadab Khan was the perfect foil as the pair recorded the highest 7th wicket stand for Pakistan against Sri Lanka. That partnership, in the end, turned out to be a match-winning one. Presentations coming up..

22:55 Local Time, 18:55 GMT, 00:25 IST: Is there a better bowling unit than Pakistan when the surface aids them? Tough one to call. The wicket was two-paced and the ball was hardly coming on to the bat and the spin troika of Hafeez, Shadab and Malik made Sri Lanka submit meekly. The combined bowling figures read: 23-1-88-5. Dickwella and Mendis fell early to the pacers. Tharanga and Thirimanne defied proceedings with a dodgy stand, once that was broken the floodgates opened and the slide turned into a procession. The Sri Lankan skipper kept his side in the game with a scratchy hundred and 76-run 8th wicket stand but ran out of partners. At the end, he remained unbeaten and in the process became the first Sri Lankan opener to carry his bat in an ODI.

Hasan Ali to Gamage, out Gamage Run Out!! 1 run completed. Brilliance from Rumman in the deep. Pakistan win by 32 runs. The Sri Lankan pair were always going for the second as it was the last ball of the over and Tharanga needed to be on strike. A low full toss outside off, Gamage slices the drive square on the off-side. Tharanga was quick off the blocks and called for two immediately, Gamage was running to the danger end and he is caught short by a direct hit. One stump to aim from 60-odd yards and Rumman hit the target. Sarfraz almost messed it up with his urgency but somehow managed to be late. Hand shakes all round as the Pakistan lead the way out of the park. Gamage run out (Raees) 3(6)

Hasan Ali to Gamage, THATS OUT!! Run Out!!

Run-out check sent upstairs. Pakistan seem confident. It is a direct-hit. But has Sarfraz dislodged the bails? Very difficult and S Ravi is asking for different angles. Still not satisfied with the slow-mos. He is going back and forth to be absolutely sure. "You can load OUT on the big screen," says Ravi.

Hasan Ali to Tharanga, 1 run, full and on off, Tharanga chips the drive to mid-off and races across to the other end

Hasan Ali to Tharanga, FOUR, Tharanga has not yet given up. Short delivery just outside off, Tharanga stands tall and flat-bats it over extra cover. Brute power as the ball almost carried the distance

Hasan Ali to Tharanga, 2 runs, the wide yorker which Tharanga squeezes behind point and gingers back comfortably for the second

Hasan Ali to Tharanga, no run, yorker right on the money, Tharanga can't do much other than digging it out into the off-side

Hasan Ali to Tharanga, 2 runs, dragged down slower ball, Tharanga slaps it over mid-off and settles with a couple

Hasan Ali [9.0-2-22-1] is back into the attack

Raees to Gamage, no run, round the wicket and Rumman slips in the slower ball, Gamage defends into the off-side

Raees to Tharanga, 1 run, another short delivery sent Tharanga's way and he skews a top-edge towards short fine leg. Junaid runs forward and collects it on the half volley. The duo scamper through for a quick single

Raees to Tharanga, no run, loud shout for caught behind. Rumman and Sarfraz sounded very confident. The umpire though remained silent. Drifted down leg, Tharanga tries to help it along the way and made some contact with the ball. Might have been the thigh pad

Raees to Gamage, 1 run, angled into the right-hander, Gamage taps it wide of mid-wicket and hands the strike back to Tharanga

Raees to Gamage, no run, round the wicket and cramping the batsman for room, knocked with a full face to the right of Rumman