Pakistan claimed their 13th title at Sharjah and maintained their supremacy at the venue when they beat Sri Lanka convincingly by 5-wickets in the final of the Khaleej Times Trophy 2001 on November 4. Pakistan's dominance at this venue is so overwhelming that they have won 65 out of 95 matches played and no other team can boast of such an enviable record at one venue.

Reverting back to the events of the match, Waqar Younis led his team from the front and claimed 3 wickets for 31 which also won him the Man of the Match award. However, for Pakistan fans the most cheerful aspect of the Trophy Final was to watch their famous trio of fast bowlers Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib bowling in complete rhythm and with great venom. The trio accounted for 8 Sri Lankan wickets for 84 runs.

SriLanka, which perhaps showed signs of early complacency after electing to bat, suffered from a disastrous start being reduced to 21 for 2 after 9 overs. Later, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Russel Arnold tried to restore the innings. But some reckless batting in the middle and down the order continued their slide and Sri Lanka was ultimately shot out for 173 in 44.2 overs.

Shoaib Akhtar bowled a much better line and length this time. In fact, his devastating second spell tightened Pakistan's grip on the match. Keeper Rashid Latif who was also adjudged as the best fielder in the tournament snapped four catches. The new look Wasim Akram was adjudged the best bowler of the series and claimed 2 for 20 in 8 overs. Mahela Jayawardene scored 43 and Russel Arnold made 47.

In reply Pakistan achieved the modest total in 43.5 overs with five wickets to spare but not without some hiccups. Shahid Afridi hit 35, Yousuf Youhana made 40 and Inzamamul Haq scored 28. Sri Lankan danger man, Muttiah Muralitharan was once again the pick of their attack claiming 3 for 22 in his 10 over quota. Sri Lanka who were seeking to complete a hat-trick of titles at Sharjah had suffered heavily as their top four batsmen gifted their wickets by slashing at balls outside the off-stump and edging into the safe hands of Rashid Latif. Waqar Younis celebrated his first tournament win as Pakistan Captain and received a Crystal Trophy sponsored by Khaleej Times and a handsome winning team cheque.

Pakistan's record at Sharjah - 1984 to date

Played	Won	Lost	Tied	Win %age
95	65	30	1	68.42

Win percentages of other teams at Sharjah

South Africa	Australia	England	West Indies	India	Sri Lanka	Zimbabwe
80	55.55	53.84	51.42	48.61	37.31	21.05

Total No. of Matches Played at Sharjah to date: 181

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