PAK VS WXI - 2nd T20I, World XI tour of Pakistan, 2017

So, a break of a day and the Gaddafi is going to get dressed up all over again. All to play for as well in that final. And what a treat this has been today, all the action and some deemed company to cap it off. This is Vineet Anantharaman bidding goodbye along with Pratyush Sinha, Sagar Chawla and Sreenivas. Ta ta!!

Faf du Plessis: We needed it to keep the cup alive. I thought we bowled much better and kept them to a lower score. You always need someone to ensure that we do not collapse; quite the one we did not have yesterday. That's what Amla did, he was steady and took us through. Last night we were disappointed that we did not do well but am glad that we came back strong. I expect the third match to be in similar conditions and hope to continue the form.

Sarfraz Ahmed: We have to give credit to the World XI. Hashim bhai played beautifully. This is a learning opportunity for all of us, it will teach the bowlers how to bowl in tough situations to class players like Hash. We were a bit sloppy in the field and that cost us. Had the execution been better, we could have won this match. You should also have a slower length ball in your kitty apart from the yorkers.

Thisara Perera, Man of the Match: First of all it is an honour to be selected for the World XI side, it was my dream. Hash told me to stay till the end so that we could cash in. Normally I play similarly in situations for my country as well and this has become a habit now (finishing off games). Thanks to the Pakistani fans, they really cheered well for us.

It was delicious for the crowds that have poured in. To imagine that a few of them even left the stands when the spinners had a stranglehold on the proceedings of an obvious Pakistani victory should tell the story. The collapse towards the end in the first innings that meant a cool few runs short too would come back to haunt them. Malik's dropped catch would hurt. Some sloppy fielding would hurt. An over short for Nawaz could hurt. Either all that or Thisara Perera. Wait on, a sermon coming up.

Absolute raw drama. There is never a dearth of it when you are dealing with Pakistan. And the series stays alive. Oh you beaut, Thisara Perera, finding himself retained in the side in the place of Sammy, the crowd favourite, our comments favourite and he stands up and delivers. With a scratchy looking Amla at the other end, not only did find his own lost timing, he put all of it on display like a showpiece. Eventually it was the pressure caused by the absence of playing at home that got onto the Pakistani pacers - who ended up with full tosses replacing their yorkers. Blame the dew as well.

Raees to Thisara Perera, SIX, there's it. A massive blow. So typically Thisara Perera. After all the advice he got, Raees dishes out a full toss, the juiciest of them, high up and finds it smoked into the sightscreen. And then the roar..seals it snatching it from the mouth of defeat with a ball to spare

Strategy comes out in the form of a drinks bottle. Oh Amla is struggling here for a breathe-in. Okay, what have you got? A super over? A big smack? A wicket? Sarfraz is in Raees's ear..instructions..those dreaded instructions

Raees to Amla, 1 run, heaved away, across the line and finds the man at mid-wicket on the bounce. Wow. That's 6 in 2 now

Raees to Amla, 2 runs, chips up. Up...and in no man's territory. Continues to lose his timing, spooning the slog up, over the bowler and well short of long-off and on converging

9 off 4 now

Raees to Thisara Perera, 1 run, corrects himself does Shadab. A crisp clean gathering to cut off the hammering drive. Long-off again

Raees to Thisara Perera, 2 runs, a misfield now. Oh boy. Shadab the culprit. Was the slower one to start off with and Perera slaps it away to long-off. Slips out. Dew to the power of pressure

Raees to Thisara Perera, wide, loses his steam, wide, cutting the line, that dreaded line by a big mark

Sohail Khan to Thisara Perera, 1 run, back to firing in the yorker. Gets it right for a change as well. Drilled down to keep the strike. 20 off the over

Dev: "So for all those comments against Perera, he is the one delivering it." -- What do we know

Sohail Khan to Thisara Perera, SIX, rubs it in. A massive moment this. Sohail loses his radar with the full toss, Perera gets back to doing what he does for a living. His staple bat swing. Across, flat and over cow corner

Sohail Khan to Thisara Perera, 2 runs, dropped. Oh Shoaib Malik, is that the match? Was a clobbed over the bowler, and Malik running across from long-on gets it at a nice height as well. "You could put his house on him" thinks Pommy on air. And that house has been robbed

22 off 9 now. Three balls that could change it all

Sohail Khan to Thisara Perera, 2 runs, responds with a blockholer. And Perera's biceps still manage to jam it back past the bowler. A couple stolen

Sohail Khan to Thisara Perera, wide, thrown up cutting the tramline. Perera's walking moves confusing him further. Ahh, the pressure