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Captain Kumar Sangakkara came to Sri Lanka's rescue in the ICC World Twenty20 final against Pakistan at Lord's on Sunday. The dashing batsman scored a fighting half-century to guide them to a competitive 138 for 6 after a horrendous start.
Electing to bat, Sri Lanka were reduced to 70 for 6 before Sangakkara launched the rescue effort with an unbeaten 64 from 52 deliveries, inclusive of seven boundaries.
He was involved in an unbroken stand of 68 for the seventh wicket off 44 deliveries with Angelo Mathews, who stroked a vital 35 off 24 deliveries, inclusive of three fours and a six.
Pakistan must be disappointed to have let Sri Lanka off the hook as they conceded 59 runs in the last five overs.
Abdul Razzaq was brilliant upfront with the new ball, claiming three wickets for 20 in three overs to trigger the collapse, while Shahid Afridi took one for 20 in four.
Both teams are desperate to get their hands on the title after losing in the last World Cup finals they featured in. Sri Lanka were beaten by Australia in the 2007 50-over World Cup final, while Pakistan went down to India in the last Twenty20 World Cup final in 2007.
Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat. Both teams retained the line-ups of their semi-final victories.
Pakistan came in with a set plan against Tillakaratne Dilshan, who thus far had been unstoppable with the bat. 17-year-old Mohammad Aamer started with a quick bouncer against the opener and followed it up with three more short deliveries on the body which the Sri Lankan tried to get away.
Finally, Aamer's persistence paid off, as Dilshan was out to the fifth short delivery, trying to pull it fine and caught by Shahzaib Hussain at short fine leg for a duck. (0-1, 0.5)
Abdul Razzaq also struck in his first over, claiming the wicket of Jehan Mubarak, who was promoted in a bid to take on the bowlers in the Powerplay overs.
Mubarak advanced down the wicket and tried to lift one over the leg side, but got a leading edge and was caught at cover for 0. (2-2, 1.3)
Sangakkara got Sri Lanka going with a couple of boundaries in the third over by Aamer. Jayasuriya then lofted Razzaq for a six over mid-wicket and hit the next ball for a boundary through fine leg. But the bowler had the last laugh when he Jayasuriya for 17 from 10 deliveries.
The left-hander tried to pull Razzaq but could only drag it on to his stumps, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 26 for three in the fourth over.
Sri Lanka's position further worsened when Mahela Jayawardene (1) guided one straight to Misbah-ul Haq and became Razzaq's third victim of the innings. (32-4, 5.3)
Pakistan's spinners then set about drying up the runs, as just 20 came in four overs, as Sri Lanka put up 54 for four at the halfway stage.
The tournament's top wicket-taker Umar Gul, introduced in the 12th over, needed just three deliveries to claim a wicket. Chamara Silva, who had scored 14 from 19 deliveries, mistimed a pull shot, hitting it straight to Saeed Ajmal at midwicket. (67-5, 11.3)
Shahid Afridi finished his spell with a wicket, bowling Isuru Udana for 1 with his wrong one, a delivery that spins into the batsman.
Afridi had once again made a vital contribution with the ball, claiming one for 20 in four overs, as Sri Lanka slipped to 70 for six after 13 overs.
Meanwhile, Sangakkara continued to wage a lone battle. He clipped Gul off his pads over mid-wicket to bring up his half-century off 44 balls, inclusive of five boundaries. The left-hander pulled the final delivery of that over for another boundary to fetch 15 runs from the over as Sri Lanka reached 103 for six after 17 overs.
Ajmal was also hit for a boundary each by Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews in the 18th over as Sri Lanka started closing in on a competitive total. The two batsmen brought up their 50-run partnership for the seventh wicket in just 35 deliveries to give Sri Lanka the much-needed boost in the final few overs.
Matthews went after youngster Aamer in the final over, hitting him for a boundary and six through midwicket. The last over fetched 17 runs for Sri Lanka as they put up a competitive 138 for 6 in their 20 overs.
Sangakkara was unbeaten on a fine 64 from 52 deliveries, while Mathews finished not out on 35 from 24 deliveries. The two batsmen were involved in an unbroken stand of 68 runs for the seventh wicket.
Sri Lanka, with the bowling attack at their disposal, must be really fancying their chances now. Pakistan will be disappointed not to have restricted Sri Lanka to a lower total. Nevertheless, they still have a good chance with the bat.