Sri Lanka (528 and 33 for 2) beat Pakistan (234 and 325; Inzamam 99, Vaas 4-85, Muralitharan 4-72) by 8 wickets
scorecard

Sri Lanka wrapped up the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship with an emphatic eight-wicket win on the final day at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. It was their ninth consecutive Test victory, a national record.

Mahela Jayawardene cut Shoaib Akhtar backward of point for four to post the winning runs, after Pakistan were all out for 325.

Sri Lanka had only needed 32 for victory, but Pakistan came charging out of the blocks and grabbed two consolation wickets before the tiny target was reached.

Mohammad Sami struck in the second over with a well-directed short ball. Cramped for space, Marvan Atapattu only managed an edge to Rashid Latif for 1 to follow his first-innings duck (1 for 1).

Shoaib attacked with six slips, and managed a consolation wicket when he deceived Sanath Jayasuriya with a slower one in the fifth over of the innings. Jayasuriya, who also made 1, failed to read the delivery, mistimed his shot and Yousuf Youhana at cover took a good one-handed catch (14 for 2).

But in the end it was a deserved victory for Sri Lanka, who dominated the final. Pakistan's only hope of saving the game was more rain, which had washed away much of the fourth day's play.

Earlier, the second new ball did the trick for Sri Lanka as Pakistan were bowled out for 325 after resuming their second innings at 248 for 5.

Inzamam-ul-Haq's resistance had carried him to 99, and Pakistan to within 13 runs of making Sri Lanka bat again, when Chaminda Vaas trapped him lbw. Inzamam may have missed his own century, but he had added 100 defiant runs for the sixth wicket with Shoaib Malik.

Inzamam began the day in a different state of mind from yesterday. In only the third over of the morning, he smashed Muttiah Muralitharan for a six and two fours, which sent Jayasuriya scurrying for the second new ball. Just when it seemed that Pakistan had negotiated another period of play, Inzamam fell (281 for 6). Though Waqar Younis cracked 25 off 27 balls, there was not much resistance once Inzamam had gone.

Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 230, was named Man of the Match.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd