Pakistan thumped Sri Lanka by five wickets with three balls to spare in a low-scoring Twenty20 international against Pakistan at the floodlit Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Chasing a modest target of 142, skipper Misbah ul Haq hit an unbeaten 48 off 38 balls with three boundaries and a six to steer his side to a comfortable victory and end their triumphant tour of UAE on a high.
It was a clean sweep for Pakistan who won the Test series 1-0 and one-day series 4-1 and the one-off Twenty20 match to seal their dominance in the Mobilink Jazz Cup series.
Shahid Afridi clubbed two massive sixes off the penultimate over from Dilhara Fernando before being caught behind by Kumar Sangakkara in the last ball after adding 43 runs fo the fifth wicket with Misbah. Afridi made 22 for 15 balls to the delight of a partisan crowd which had packed the stadium.
He said Afridi's two sixes was the turning point of the game and thanked Pakistan fans for supporting them at every venuue.
"I like to thank them for their support at all the grounds. It's looks like we are playing at home," said Misbah.
Pakistan required nine off the last over bowled by Lasith Malinga. In a comedy of errors Sri Lanka conceded six runs of the first ball, including four overthrows with wicket keeper Kumara Sangakkara failing to gather a wild throw from Angelo Mathews after Misbah ran for two with Dilhara Fernando failing to back up.
Shoaib Malik kept his nerve to hit the winning runs off the third delivery from Malinga.
Pakistan skipper Misbah said all credit should go to the entire team for a wonderful effort, not just the 11 players.
"I mean the team of 25, everybody is working hard. Everybody is contributing and I think credit goes to the whole team," he said.
"I think wonderful effort by the bowlers and wonderful effort by the batsmen," he said as Pakistan showed their fighting qualities when the chips were down.
Earlier, Sri Lanka were all out for 141 in 19.3 overs after electing to bat first with Aizaz Cheema grabbing four wickets.
"I don't know what went wrong. We got a great start and we didn't capitalise. I think we were short again by 20 runs," said a disappointed Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan.
"Our bowlers did a great job. On a flat wicket they bowled really well. But we were 15-20 runs short. That's why we lost today," he added.
Pakistan got off to a flying start when they began the run chase with Malinga going for 13 in the first over.
Openers Imran Farhat and Muhammad Hafeez made 31 in four overs before Thisara Perera got a breakthrough.
Hafeez was unfortunate to be adjudged leg before for 13 with TV replays showing it would have missed the stumps.
The introduction of spin put the skids on the Pakistan scoring with Ajantha Mendis striking with his third delivery when he Farhat holed out to Dilruwan Perera.
Pakistan stumbled to 41 for three in the seventh over when Umar Akmal was bowled by Dilshan as the batsman gave himself room.
Asad Shafique and Misbah ul Haq steadied the innings deciding that discretion was the better part of valour chasing a small target.
Misbah removed the shackles when he hoisted Dilruwan's first ball of a new spell over the ropes.
But Malinga returned to remove Shafique with the ball trickling onto the stumps to end a 59-run partnership for the fourth wicket in the 15th over.
Shafique made a run-a-ball 33 with three boundaries.
Afridi came in when Pakistan required 51 off 30 bals but were stifled by some deceptive bowling from Perera.
Misbah stepped up a gear when he slammed two successive boundaries off Dilhara Fernando. Afridi survived a direct hit from Dilshan but slammed the next ball to the boundary to change the tide for Pakistan in the 17th over.
"I think we were under pressure specially when we started bowling. I think it was really a great comeback by the spinners. At the end I think fast bowlers bowled very well and we just pulled them back. At that stage it was looking like they were going to get 200 runs," said Misbah.
Sri Lanka got a solid start averaging eight runs an over to be 63 for two after six overs.
But they lost their last seven wickets for 22 runs in a repeat of their sensational collapse in the fourth one-day international in Sharjah where they lost seven wickets for 19 runs.
Dinesh Chandimal lifted Sri Lanka with a maiden half Twenty20 half century but Cheema stole the limelight when he claimed three wickets in the 19th over to finish with four for 30.
Chandimal's knock of 56 off 44 balls contained six boundaries before his dismissal triggered the collapse.
Desperate to end the UAE tour on a high after losing both the Test and one-day series, skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan set the tempo of the innings at a packed stadium.
He picked two boundaries off Sohail Tanvir in the second over while his opening partner Upul Tharanga got into the act in the next over from Umar Gul crashing him to the cover boundary twice.
But Cheema struck with the second delivery in the third over when he castled Tharanga for Sri Lanka to lose their first wicket with the total on 30.
Dilshan carried on with gay abandon smashing Cheema over mid-on while new batsman Dinesh Chandimal also crashed him through cover during an eventful fourth over.
Off spinner Saeed Ajmal struck in his first over with Dilshan having lofted one over mid on, miscuing the next for skier to Misbah ul Haq at midwicket.
Sangakkara fell to the guiles of off spinner Muhammad Hafeez offering him a simple return catch as Sri Lanka slipped to 91 for three after 10 overs.
Sri Lanka maintained a good run rate though being pegged back by the spinners while a couple of run outs also set saw Pakistan fight back.
A subdued Angelo Mathews was beaten by a direct throw from Misbah ul Haq attempting a quick single in the 16th over while Chamara Silva was out by yards after ambling for a single failing to beat wicketkeeper Umar Akmal's return.
Chandimal celebrated his maiden Twenty20 half century by slicing a low full toss from Cheema to point but trapped leg before in the next delivery.
Perera lasted just two deliveries digging out a yorker for Akmal to take a low diving catch while Cheema bowled Malinga.