Pakistan keep Asia Cup hopes alive with win over Sri Lanka

A fine all-round performance by Hussain Talat (2-18, 32 not out), who shared an unbeaten 58-run stand with Mohammad Nawaz (38 not out), helped Pakistan overcome Sri Lanka by five wickets in a hard-fought, low-scoring encounter in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

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Talat and Mohammad Nawaz came together with Pakistan struggling at 80/5 in their chase of Sri Lanka's modest total of 133/8 and guided them to victory as Pakistan reached 138/5 with 12 balls to spare.

The victory revived Pakistan's hopes of reaching the final after they had suffered an embarrassing six-wicket defeat to India on Sunday.

Pakistan's bowling, which was hammered to all parts of the park by Indian openers Abhishek Sharma, recovered from that onslaught and strangled the Sri Lankan batters on Tuesday.

The effort by their bowling unit, spearheaded by pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-28), helped Pakistan restrict Sri Lanka to 133/8 in 20 overs at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

On a wicket that looked good for batting, Shaheen Afridi struck off the second ball of the first over, and then, in the third over, as with Haris Rauf and Talat contributing superbly, Pakistan had Sri Lanka struggling at 58/5. Spinner Abrar Ahmed bowled a superbly restrictive line for-8 in four overs as Pakistan dominated the middle overs.

Kamindu Mendis struck a fighting half-century (50 off 44, 3x4, 2x6), which propelled Sri Lanka to a modest total of 133/8, which eventually did not prove enough despite a lionhearted effort by their bowlers, especially Hasaranga.