Ayesha Zafar‘s 39 off 31 was enough to see Pakistan through to a consolation victory to end their tour, as the visitors chased down a target of 114 with four wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare. Sri Lanka take the series 2-1 after two strong batting displays in the first two games, but on a slower track this time round they faltered against a Pakistan spin barrage; it was also Pakistan’s first win on tour since the first ODI.

While Zafar was unable to last till the end, by the time she fell – missing a wild heave off Chamari Athapaththu – the game was virtually won. Her match-winning knock had brought the equation down to just 9 off 23, and there were no late jitters as Tuba Hassan and Saira Jabeen knocked off the remaining runs, Tuba finishing off proceedings with a back-foot punch to the cover boundary.

Unlike the first two games, where the bat had dominated, the difference here was with the ball. Whereas Pakistan’s spinners showed guile and discipline, Sri Lanka’s bowlers erred far more often in their lines and lengths and it was this that allowed Pakistan’s chase to flourish.

The powerplay itself brought a healthy 44 runs, the same as Sri Lanka’s effort in fairness but in a low-scoring game it was worth nearly 40% of the target. Where Pakistan bettered the hosts was, however, through the middle overs.

Sri Lanka lost five wickets in this period, as Pakistan’s spinners throttled the game, giving away just 47 runs between the sixth and the 16th over. Spinners Umm-e-Hani, Momina Riasat, Nashra Sandhu, Tuba and Zafar picked up all of the six Sri Lankan wickets to fall. Though it was Riasat’s intervention that proved most pivotal.

With Sri Lanka coasting on 72 for 1 at the start of the 12th, they were well set for a total potentially in the region of 140 – quite competitive given the conditions. At the crease were Athapaththu and Sanjana Kavindi in the middle of a 35-ball 36-run stand. But in the space of four deliveries, both were back in the dugout.

Kavindi was the first to go, holing out to a well-taken catch at extra cover, and then three balls later Athapaththu found deep square leg with a slog sweep. It was a calamitous over as far as Sri Lanka were concerned, and one they never recovered from.

Over the next eight overs they struggled to maintain the same tempo, and despite losing just three more wickets were only able to muster a further 40 runs to close out the innings; the death overs alone brought just 22 runs.

It was a period of play that coloured the rest of the game, as Athapaththu would bemoan after the game their inability on the day to set the tone and play the conditions accordingly. Pakistan, to their credit, showed a much better handle of the pitch, particularly Player of the Match Zafar, who acknowledged the conditions were not what they had come to expect but was pleased with how they adapted.