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ABU DHABI: Pakistan kept their Asia Cup campaign alive with a hard-fought five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a Super Four clash in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

With both teams having lost their opening fixtures of the second round, defeat wasn’t an option and Pakistan’s bowlers rose to the occasion tying Sri Lanka down to 133-8 on a featherbed of a pitch.

Chasing what looked a modest target, Pakistan made heavy weather of it. After a brisk opening stand of 45, their innings went into free fall at 80-5.

But a cool-headed 58-run partnership off 41 balls for the sixth wicket between Mohammad Nawaz and Hussain Talat steadied the ship and saw them home with 12 deliveries in hand.

Nawaz struck a breezy 38 off 24 balls, while Talat anchored the innings with an unbeaten 32 off 30.

Earlier, Shaheen Shah Afridi set the tone with the new ball, nipping out Sri Lanka’s in-form openers inside his first two overs.

The left-arm quick returned at the death to dismiss top-scorer Kamindu Mendis and closed with figures of three for 28 — a spell that put Pakistan on the front foot.

Talat and Haris Rauf chipped in with two wickets apiece, while leggie Abrar Ahmed bowled with miserly precision, giving away just eight runs in his four overs and dismissing fellow leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.

Sri Lanka, unbeaten in the first round with three wins on the trot, have hit a brick wall in the Super Four, losing to Bangladesh on Saturday and now to Pakistan.

With only India left to play, their chances of making the final are hanging by a thread.

Put in to bat, Sri Lanka slumped to 58-5 and looked set to be bundled out inside 20 overs.

But Kamindu Mendis dug in, compiling a fighting 50 off 44 balls with three fours and two sixes, his third half-century in T20Is.

He stitched together a 43-run stand with Chamika Karunaratne for the seventh wicket, but the former champions were still left high and dry.

LONDON: Arsenal winger Noni Madueke will be out for a few weeks after suffering a knee injury in Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Manchester City, manager Mikel Arteta has said.
England international Madueke, who moved from Chelsea in the close season, was substituted at halftime after picking up the injury. British media said the 23-year-old could miss six to eight weeks.
“It looks like he will be out for a few weeks ... we will have to scan him again next week. He felt something in the beginning of the match, at halftime it was too sore,” Arteta told reporters on the eve of Wednesday’s League Cup third round clash at Port Vale.
“It doesn’t look too bad. He was gutted, disappointed because he was in such a good state. He was getting consistency and flow and was looking like a big threat.”
Arsenal’s Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie, another close-season arrival, has picked up a groin injury, Arteta added.
“We have to assess him in the next few days on how he goes. There’s been a change of load, he hasn’t really had a pre-season. We have to look in the next week on how he is. I think that will be a short-term injury,” the manager added.
Arsenal are also without Germany forward Kai Havertz, who had knee surgery last month, but their Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard, who suffered a shoulder injury earlier this month, is close to returning, Arteta said.
“No surgery. (Odegaard is) still really fine. He’s already been training. It will be a matter of days,” the Spaniard added.
Arsenal, who finished runners-up in the last three seasons, are second in the table, five points behind champions Liverpool.
The North London side visit Newcastle United on Sunday.