36th over: Sri Lanka 210-2 (Kamindu 112, Rathnayake 44) Farheem again, long run up, long sleeves. On TMS, Steven Finn says in this scenario England would be looking for the scoops but, as it turns out, Rathnayake doesn't need to – he flames a short ball to the rope then drives, divinely, on the up, off the back foot to bring up the 100 partnership. The current run rate is just under six an over.
35th over: Sri Lanka 200-2 (Kamindu 111, Rathnayake 35) Haris Rauf seems the most likely, and Shaheen keeps him on. We pause after one ball as Mendis gets an elongated arm massage and a pickle juice. The umpires, in tight-fitting florescent pink, are unimpressed. A top edge flies through where first slip might have hovered.
34th over: Sri Lanka 193-2 (Kamindu 105, Rathnayake 34) With feeling! Upper cuts Faheem for four to bring up three figures, blows out his lips in relief and raises bat in one hand, helmet in the other, to the dressing room where Gary Kirsten leads the applause. Lovely innings, unhurried, but off just 107 balls.
33rd over: Sri Lanka 185-2 (Kamindu 99, Rathnayake 32) After a pause for more drinks, they resume at the Gaddafi stadium. Haris Rauf is brought back with Kamindu just three short of his first ODI century. There he must remain for another over but Rathnayake, nimble footed, hauls four with style.
32nd over: Sri Lanka 176-2 (Kamindu 97, Rathnayake 25) In the Tepal tea lounge, four immaculate looking Pakistan fans serenely sip. Ah, Faheem Ahraf for the first time today. He keeps it tight for five balls, Kamindu pulls his last, which is heading to the rope but well fielded in the deep.
31st over: Sri Lanka 171-2 (Kamindu 94, Rathnayake 23) Pakistan aren't letting Sri Lanka charge into the distance, but two wides from Shaheen are not ideal in an over that has already leaked six.
30th over: Sri Lanka 164-2 (Kamindu 90, Rathnayake 21) Arafat whistles through an over, four singles from it.
29th over: Sri Lanka 159-2 (Kamindu 88, Rathnayake 19) Shaheen brings himself back on, Pakistan really could do with getting Kamindu out rapidly. The 50 partnership comes up in 44 balls as a huge kite drifts across the ground, in and out of the Lahore mist.
28th over: Sri Lanka 154-2 (Kamindu 86, Rathnayake 15) Kamindu, the most relaxed man in the world, oils his wrists and sends Arafat spilling through the covers for four.
Make that Australia 42 for six.
27th over: Sri Lanka 146-2 (Kamindu 80, Rathnayake 14) Naseem pushes his luscious hair back off his face while Shaheen stretches. A fierce bouncer beats Kamindu who just pulls out of a hook in time. Good over.
26th over: Sri Lanka 142-2 (Kamindu 78, Rathnayake 12) Arafat Minhas comes back, ushers his fielders into position with a wave of the hand. Sri Lanka are cautious, respectful.
, incidentally, are four down in the thriller at Cape Town after an over eager Cameron Green runs out Josh Inglis.
25th over: Sri Lanka 138-2 (Kamindu 75, Rathnayake 11) Glorious from Rathnayake, who frying pans Naseem for four off the front foot over mid-on. A pretty drive deserves four but is cut off. The ground is busier now, plenty of people walking up and down the aisles.
24th over: Sri Lanka 128-2 (Kamindu 73, Rathnayake 3) Kamindu gets into position like a whippet and reverse sweeps four past backward point, he follows up with another boundary, this time just gently directed to deep third. Salman, previously economical, is not pleased.
23rd over: Sri Lanka 118-2 (Kamindu 64, Rathnayake 2) Shaheen saves some Haris Rauf for later and brings back Naseem Shah. He nearly picks up Kamindu as well, but a drive lands just short of extra cover.
22nd over: Sri Lanka 114-2 (Kamindu 61, Rathnayake 1) A catch that looks better with each replay! Kamindu picks up four off the last ball of the over with a turn of the bat.
Wow! A fabulous catch by Salman as Kusal goes on the charge and Salman, somehow, grabs it with both hands above his head, hair flowing in the process, almost knocked off his feet by the power of the shot.
21st over: Sri Lanka 108-1 (Kamindu 56, Kusal 8) Rauf starts with a super bouncer, which Kamindu dodges. But the next ball is driven with a flourish straight down the ground, past a diving Naseem, chased all the way by a sprinting Shaheen. Another sharp bouncer, this time evades Kusal, and a good stop at backward point next ball stems any runs. But Kusal finishes the over with a slam-dam launch down the ground for six! Great shot.
20th over: Sri Lanka 97-1 (Kamindu 51, Kusal 2) Salman opens the tap by sending down a friendly bomb which Kamindu cuts stylishly down to the rope. A single brings fifty off 62 balls, a sparkling little number.
19th over: Sri Lanka 90-1 (Kamindu 45, Kusal 1) Haris Rauf hustles. Kusal is watchful. It is now 40 balls since Sri Lanka's last boundary.
18th over: Sri Lanka 89-1 (Kamindu 44, Kusal 1) The end of an entertaining innings from Avishka, a breakthrough Pakistan desperately needed. Just three from Salman's wicket-taking over.
Avishka tries to sweep a full ball, misses, and is clonked on the front pad, X marks the spot. Reviews, fruitlessly.
17th over: Sri Lanka 86-0 (Avishka 38, Kamindu 42) A leading edge from Avishka falls just short of the charging Rauf in the first ball after the break. And so it continues as Rauf serves up an immaculate maiden, the first of the day.
16th over: Sri Lanka 86-0 (Avishka 38, Kamindu 42) Salman, tidy, just two singles from it, and they take DRINKS.
15th over: Sri Lanka 84-0 (Avishka 37, Kamindu 41) Time for some Haris Rauf. He rubs his hands in the dirt between balls, it's a hot day out there. He bustles in, a sparkly extra-cover drive by Kamindu is the shot of the over and Sri Lanka mine four from it.
14th over: Sri Lanka 80-0 (Avishka 36, Kamindu 38) Kamindu stares at the umpire after he doesn't signal wide to a ball flirting with the line. But Sri Lanka are moving along tolerably well, without taking too many risks.
13th over: Sri Lanka 72-0 (Avishka 31, Kamindu 36) Over number four for Arafat Minhas. A pretty pitiful effort from Naseem Shah on the rope allows Kamindu four from an authoratative sweep. Two wides in succession were not on the to-do list, nor was Fakhar limping off the field. Kamindu is given out caught behind, but immediately appeals and there is not a glimmer on ultra edge.
12th over: Sri Lanka 63-0 (Avishka 29, Kamindu 31) More spin, this time from Salman. Seven runs are mined from it, plus a wide will do very nicely.
11th over: Sri Lanka 55-0 (Avishka 26, Kamindu 27) Arafat whips through another over, just four singles from it.
Meanwhile, in Cape Town, Australia, chasing 288, have lost two wickets in their first over. Geoff Lemon is nervously watching.
10th over: Sri Lanka 51-0 (Avishka 24, Kamindu 25) Shaheen shimmies in with over number five. Kamindu has had enough faffing about and launches into hook which flies over fine leg for six. He tries again and may have got a feather on the ball, but it fails to carry through to Baig. At the end of the power play, a fairly equally balanced measure.
9th over: Sri Lanka 43-0 (Avishka 23, Kamindu 18) Arafat, shirt untucked, big white trainers, like any kid in any park. He's on the money, varies his trajectory and float. Just a single from the over.
8th over: Sri Lanka 42-0 (Avishka 22, Kamindu 18) Just two runs from an immaculate Shaheen.
7th over: Sri Lanka 40-0 (Avishka 21, Kamindu 17) Spin from Arafat Minhas. Kamindu reverse-sweeps him for four, but otherwise he holds his line.
6th over: Sri Lanka 35-0 (Avishka 21, Kamindu 12) Booster rockets launched! Avishka first unfurls a divine cover drive for four, then picks up Naseem Shah bouncer and flays it over backward square leg for six, finishes with a straight drive that purrs over the rope.
5th over: Sri Lanka 20-0 (Avishka 7, Kamindu 12) A neat over by Shaheen, five dots and Kamindu tucks into a short one and dispatches it for four.
Apologies if you've tried to get through on email, the address was slightly wrong, should work now.
4th over: Sri Lanka 16-0 (Avishka 7, Kamindu 8) Shah, green paint across his cheek, hustles in. He donates a wide to a handful of singles than a beautifully timed nibble from Kamindu slides to the rope only to be cut off at the last by a sprinting Arafat Minhas.
3rd over: Sri Lanka 10-0 (Avishka 6, Kamindu 4) Shaheen, something less than a towel, more like an ironed pocket hankerchief, tucked into his waistband runs in. Kamindu launches into a pull but just collects a single, but Avishka collects the first boundary of the day to short fine leg.
2nd over: Sri Lanka 5-0 (Avishka 2, Kamindu 3) Pakistan's James Dean, Naseem Shah, slides in at the other end. Shorter, skiddier. Sri Lanka's eager beavers have to be content with knocking about a few singles.
Meanwhile, it is the first day of the season in the southern hemisphere where my nephew Winston made 71 for Avondale college to help win the game. A big auntie hug flying over the oceans.
1st over: Sri Lanka 2-0 (Avishka 2, Kamindu 0) The imposing figure of Shaheen Shah Afridi stands at the top of his mark, a still mountain before the dawn. He sprints in, elbows jutting, and his first ball is on the wide side of a yawn but the umpire ignores it. A scattering of a crowd are starting to settle in the green seats. And Sri Lanka get their first runs off the the last ball of a tidy over.
Apologies all, back online in time to see Pakistan strolling out to the middle.
The players are lined up neatly, starting with Sri Lanka.
Slight technical hitch here, as I've lost transmission, bear with me a minute.
Maaz Sadaqat, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wk), Salman Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (c, wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka
A pleased Shaheen Shah Afridi announces one change – a poorly Shadab is replace by Faheem Ashraf. Sri Lanka, who lose a toss at last, also have one change, Maheesh Theekshana steps into Eshan Malinga's boots.
Good morning! It's final time in the triangular tournament world, where Pakistan and Sri Lanka are about to battle it out at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore. You may think there are more interesting things going on in Cape Town, but actually this competition has been a mini-classic, with Sri Lanka's suddenly powerhouse batting stealing the sunshine, Pakistan finding their bowling boots and England repeatedly pulling defeat from behind victory's left ear.
Pakistan lost their most recent match against Sri Lanka, but come off the back of four wins prior to that; Duckett and Dawson got the better of Sri Lanka in the consolation win on Thursday, but it was close, so fingers crossed for an evenly-matched belter.
Play starts at 8am, do join us.