Sharjah: Dashing all-rounder Shahid Afridi starred with both the bat and ball, earning Pakistan a 26-run win in the fourth one-day international at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
With the win, Pakistan took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Earlier, fast bowler Dilhara Fernando took 3-26 off 10 overs as Sri Lanka restricted Pakistan to 200 all out in 49.3 overs.
Leg-spinners Jeevan Mendis (2-40) and Seekkuge Prasanna (2-55) also picked up crucial wickets.
Pakistan, leading the five-match series 2-1, were reeling at 120-7 before Afridi provided some respectability with a topscore of 75 off 65 balls. Afridi lashed four fours and three sixes in his knock.
Fernando struck early to stun Pakistan after they won the toss and chose to bat. Imran Farhat (10) departed to a brilliant leg-side catch from wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara at 18-1 in the seventh over. Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan (18) managed to consolidate the innings in a second-wicket stand of 39, before the collapse started.
Hafeez hit three fours in 27 off 51 deliveries before he top-edged Prasanna straight to deep mid-wicket. Younis followed five runs later as he scooped a Fernando slower ball to extra cover.
Mendis further derailed the innings with the wickets of Shoaib Malik (2) and Umar Akmal (2) in successive overs. Both batsmen were trapped leg-before-wicket by googlies. Malik had come into the side in place of fellow all-rounder Abdul Razzaq.
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq compiled a patient 16 off 34 balls before his run-out left Pakistan reeling at 97-6 in the 28th over. Misbah was stranded by the length of the pitch after Afridi sent him back late as he tried to pinch a single to short fine leg.
When wicket-keeper Safraz Ahmed was leg-before to Prasanna, Sri Lanka sensed a swift end at 120-7. But Afridi found a level-headed ally in Saeed Ajmal, who helped put on 61 for the eighth wicket.
Afridi gradually settled in before producing some trademark big hits, including three sixes and four fours. The charismatic former captain, cheered on by a crowd of close to 10,000, eventually edged Thisara Perera and Sangakkara plucked another fine one-handed catch at 181-8.
Ajmal, who hit 20 off 37 balls, was Fernando's third scalp, lbw to a yorker.
Lasith Malinga ended the innings by removing Umar Gul's off stump.
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