Pakistani bowlers held their nerves to stop a threatening Sri Lankan team to win the third day-night international by 21 runs here on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
Umar Gul (three for 48) bowled well in the final overs to make sure good work by spinners Saeed Ajmal (three for 42) and Shahid Afridi (two for 42) did not go waste as they dismissed Sri Lanka for 236.
Captain Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored with 64 but it was Angelo Mathews whose aggressive 40-ball 32 kept Sri Lanka in the hunt before Gul took the last two wickets in a thrilling finish.
Sri Lanka was in a tight corner at 186 for six in the 41st over before Mathews and Jeevan Mendis (19) added 32 for the seventh wicket in quick time to threaten Pakistan, which in the end carried the day.
Sri Lanka was set on course for a win by Dilshan who added 106 runs for the second wicket with Kumar Sangakkara (45) after it lost opener Upul Tharanga (four) in paceman Umar Gul's first over.
Sangakkara, who survived a run-out with the total at 89 for one, finally failed to beat a direct throw from Shahid Afridi from mid-on after he set off for a quick single.
He hit three boundaries during his 66-ball knock.
Scoreboard
Pakistan : M. Hafeez b Prasanna 83, I. Farhat c Jayawardene b Dilshan 70, A. Razzaq c Perera b Prasanna 6, Y. Khan (run out) 42, U. Akmal b Malinga 7, Misbah-ul Haq (run out) 7, S. Afridi c Mathews b Perera 15, S. Ahmed b Malinga 3, S. Tanvir (not out) 10, U. Gul (not out) 0, Extras (lb-4, nb-1, w-9) 14; Total (for eight wkts. in 50 overs) 257
Fall of wickets : 1-151, 2-161, 3-167, 4-177, 5-193, 6-226, 7-234, 8-256.
Sri Lanka bowling : Malinga 10-0-57-2, Perera 10-1-45-1, Fernando 10-1-59-0, Dilshan 8-0-38-1, Prasanna 9-0-39-2, Mendis 3-0-15-0.
Sri Lanka : U. Tharanga b Gul 4, T. Dilshan b Afridi 64, K. Sangakkara (run out) 45, D. Chandimal c (sub) b Ajmal 31, M. Jayawardene st. Ahmed b Ajmal 17, A. Mathews (not out) 32, L. Malinga lbw b Afridi 0, J. Mendis lbw b Hafeez 19, T. Perera b Ajmal 4, S. Prasanna c Afridi b Gul 5, D. Fernando b Gul 0, Extras (lb-5, w-10) 15; Total (in 48.5 overs) 236.
Fall of wickets : 1-5, 2-111, 3-133, 4-168, 5-186, 6-186, 7-218, 8-224, 9-235.
Pakistan bowling : Gul 8.5-0-48-3, Tanvir 9-0-52-0, Razzaq 4-0-18-0, Hafeez 7-0-29-1, Afridi 10-0-42-2, Ajmal 10-0-42-3.
