Cricket:Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi again inspired his side with the ball for an 11-run victory to stretch a winning record against Sri Lanka in the World Cup and disappoint a partisan home crowd.
Afridi, who took his first World Cup five-wicket haul in the previous match against Kenya, captured four for 34 runs which included his 300th one-day international wicket when he dismissed Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara for 49.
Sri Lanka, chasing Pakistan's total of 277-7, replied with 266-9. They have now lost seven times to their subcontinental neighbours in the World Cup, falling in 1975, 1983 (twice), 1987 (twice) and 1992.
Man-of-the-match Afridi said: "It was a big game and the boys all knew how big the game was. The boys were a little too relaxed and we need to tell them on this kind of stage they should not relax.
"It's beautiful conditions, especially for bowlers. The wicket gives you turn and bounce as well, so it also helps the fast bowlers if they keep their line."
His opposite number, Sangakkara, tried to look on the bright side.
"Any defeat is tough but quite a few positives to take. I thought we bowled pretty well on a pretty flat track. Unfortunately, we lost three wickets at the wrong time," he said.
"We made it a bit difficult for ourselves by losing wickets. We got a good start, we needed a couple of blokes to kick on from there and keep batting for a longer time. Unfortunately Pakistan played very well."