Live Cricket Score of Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 5th ODI at Hambantota

Aloha! Welcome to the fifth and final ODI of the Sri Lanka - Pakistan series. The teams are in 'windy' Hambantota with the series already decided following Pakistan's solid show in Colombo. Pakistan's resurgence has been nothing short of exemplary. One look at the team fielding is an indicator enough to judge their current standing. The usually susceptible batting has been remarkably consistent and the bowling, despite not being extraordinary, has been good enough to put the hosts under pressure. The side which supposed to have been struggling to make the 2017 Champions Trophy now finds itself above West Indies in the eighth spot.

Hosts Sri Lanka appear to still be reeling from the retirements of Jayawardene and Sangakkara. Angelo Mathews has struggled with the bat and has failed to inspire his team to click as a unit. A departure from Colombo gives them an opportunity to seek a new beginning. They don't have trouble over CT Qualification but have equally pertinent questions to answer. Can they finish with a more respectable 3-2 scoreline?

Perera took the attack to Rahat Ali in the ninth over, scoring a four and a six off the seamer and the Sri Lankan opening pair also extended their partnership past fifty in the same over.

Angelo Mathews won a second toss on the trot, having lost eight in a row before that, and elected to bat. As has been the case in the ODI series so far, Sri Lanka made a plethora of changes - a clear reflection on their state of affairs. Mathews is yet to settle on a combination and for this game he has decided to bite the bullet and drop the under-performing talisman, Lasith Malinga. Also making way are Sachith Pathirana and Nuwan Pradeep (injured) with Lahiru Gamage, Sachithra Senanayake and Thisara Perera coming in.

Pakistan, on the other hand, are unchanged. The team sheets tell the story themselves.

The teams for today:

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Kusal Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews(c), Dinesh Chandimal(w), Ashan Priyanjan, Milinda Siriwardana, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Lahiru Gamage, Suranga Lakmal

Pakistan (Playing XI): Azhar Ali(c), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed(w), Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan