PAK vs SL Match 1 Results

4:50 PM IST Player of the Match - Who else, but Salman Agha to get the accolade for his match-winning knock of 107 runs. Salman starts by acknowledging that every cricketer goes through tough times and says returning to domestic cricket paid off for him. He adds that the ball was coming nicely, and his focus was on building a partnership and putting pressure on the opposition. Salman explains that he didn’t want to take unnecessary risks, preferring to keep the scoreboard ticking at a run-a-ball. He concludes by saying he targeted the gaps in the field, which worked well towards the end.

4:50 PM IST On to the next one - The hosts have started the tri-series in fine fashion, and they will now gear up for the next game. It is just the start of the series, but Sri Lanka will look to bounce back quickly in their next game in order to avoid slipping further into the abyss. The 2nd match of this tri-series will be played once again in Rawalpindi, and it will be Pakistan taking on England on October 20, Tuesday. The match is scheduled to start at 8 am GMT, but as usual, you can join us sooner for the build-up as well. Cheers!

4:41 PM IST Presentation time...

4:40 PM IST Salman's comeback ton proves decisive - After opting to bowl first, Sri Lanka did start really well with the ball, and Dilshan Madushanka got the Pakistan batters into a spot of bother. The short-ball ploy also worked nicely for the Lankans, and they kept on picking up regular wickets. Then came the stand between debutant Saad Baig and Salman Agha. Baig played a handy knock, but it was Salman who really showed his class. Last month, he was dropped from the Test side, but he went back to domestic cricket and scored a triple ton to regain his confidence, and it showed. His century set things up nicely for Pakistan, but the Lankan pacers made a late comeback led by Eshan Malinga's four-fer before Shaheen Afridi got a couple of boundaries away to take Pakistan past the 300-run mark, which was essentially a psychological advantage.

4:35 PM IST Middle-overs charge not enough for Lanka - Sri Lanka have never chased down a score in excess of 300 runs against Pakistan, and that unwanted record is still intact. It was a sluggish start with the bat for Sri Lanka as Kamindu Mendis did a decent job at one end and watched his partners fall one by one at the other end, before he too fell, short of his half-century. At that stage, Sri Lanka's hopes were all but gone, but Janith Liyanage and Pavan Rathnayake got together and piled on 119 runs for the 5th wicket. Rathnayake ended up falling cheaply after a fine knock, and Liyanage too fell towards the end as Sri Lanka lost their last 6 wickets for just 58 runs.

4:29 PM IST Pacers get the job done - With plenty of runs to play with and a bit of assistance with the new ball under lights, Naseem Shah unleashed a stellar opening spell, one that was backed up by his fellow seamers as well. Pakistan were cruising through and had the opposition reeling at 91/4. However, they had to be patient through the course of the next 18-odd overs as the ball became softer and the dew settled in, making it easier for the batters. Faheem Ashraf then came in and delivered the telling blow and Haris Rauf finished things up. Shaheen Afridi himself took three wickets, whereas the other three pacers picked up two wickets each, rounding up a solid showing.