Dilruwan's five-for seals memorable series sweep
Asad Shafiq's fighting 112 was not enough as Sri Lanka picked up the last five wickets in the first 90 minutes of the final day
Asad Shafiq's fighting 112 was not enough as Sri Lanka picked up the last five wickets in the first 90 minutes of the final day
Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: Varun Shetty
3:55 pm It's been a fantastic Test series. We hope you enjoyed our coverage, we certainly enjoyed bringing it to you. Onto the ODIs - the first one is on the same venue, on 13th October. We'll see you there.
Rivlud: "What a game and series, Sri Lanka win and wow, out of nowhere they've beaten Pakistan. 5 Day Matches are still in fashion, this has been a contest without question in both matches! Who needs 2 tier leagues!!"
AnkS: "So very Pakistan. Ordinary and extraordinary in same breath. Well done SL."
Saugato Bose: "So after being Shellacked by India 9-0, Sri Lanka defeats pakistan in Abu Dhabi where they have never lost a series, Cricket is really a funny game."
Dinesh Chandimal: We are over the moon. This is a team performance. They put their heart and soul in the practice sessions. Thanks to the selectors again for giving us confidence. It was a tough series against India but we learnt a lot from it. The boys executed the game plan really well in this series. If you look at the guys, they're really committed. Their attitude and disciplibne is there and that brings the spirit too. Last night it was a little difficult to bowl, especially with the dew. We knew when we come today, it will grip more. We knew Dilruwan and Rangana would do the job.
Sarfraz Ahmed: Was a tough series for us. We came close in both matches, but we haven't played good cricket and that's why we have lost the series. Our preparations were fine, we just missed long innings and big partnerships. Have to give credit to their spinners too, especially Herath. They had the advantage with their spinners. Test captaincy is a little difficult and I've learnt a lot. The boys are new as well and they'll learn. We'll do better in the future.
Dimuth Karunaratne: I just wanted to play the anchor role for my side. I wanted to make big scores in the first innings in this series. After the India series, I think we did really well in the first Test and these ten days. Didn't do much [with batting technique]). For seamers I made some little adjustments, but the plan was to bat longer and longer.
Dimuth Karunaratne is the Man of the Match and Man of the Series.
3:34pm This is Pakistan's first series defeat in UAE since it became their designated home in Tests. If Pakistan Cricket ever needs a motto, it could be "How did we get here?" It applied to the first Test, the first innings of this Test, the second innings when they bowled Sri Lanka out for 96 and then at the end of yesterday's play, when they were just over a hundred runs away. And now it'll apply to their ranking - they've fallen to No. 7 after the highs of being No. 1 not too long ago.
You can't help but feel happy for Sri Lanka. As they huddle up, the captain's words are sombre. There's no fist pumping or other posturing. A young captain is talking to his team who have only seen defeat in recent times. This moment is everything. They've gone ahead of Pakistan in the rankings too. We'll hear from Chandimal soon. Stick around.
Wahab Riaz c Chandimal b Herath 1 (18m 12b 0x4 0x6) SR: 8.33
The batsman leaves Dubai with the relief of having returned to form, the heartbreak of seeing another heroic innings go in vain, and the frustration of needing to wait seven months to play his next Test match
Statistical highlights of the fifty day of the second Test in Dubai between Sri Lanka and Pakistan
Pakistan's invincibility in the UAE came crashing down, but the symptoms had appeared earlier - they've now lost nine of their last 11 Tests
Against Zimbabwe and India, Sri Lanka had not begun to respond to their new leader. But Dinesh Chandimal put a stamp on his outfit with bold leadership against Pakistan
Fifteen years, 5467 days on, Pakistan suffered a Test series defeat in the UAE at the hands of Sri Lanka, who pulled off a feat beyond Australia, South Africa and England