OTD: Sri Lanka met with Pakistan in WC Final after terror attack at Lahore stadium

The terror attack incident in Lahore stadium still haunted the Sri Lankan cricketer. When the two nations faced each other in the final of the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, the past experience between Pakistan and Sri Lanka added an extra layer to that title decider match.

Throughout the tournament, Sri Lanka had a crazy run until they reached the grand finale. SL's unbeaten run before the last match was because the brand of cricket they produced was something new at that time. Their batsmen, especially Tillakaratne Dilshan, were formerly innovative. Despite finishing second in the tournament, the Sri Lankan opener was awarded as the highest run scorer and the player of the series of the 2009 T20I World Cup.

Before the final, Pakistan was the less favored side to win the trophy. But when the match started, things started to look different. Pakistan, led by Younis Khan, adopted an attacking approach from the beginning of the match and plucked the wicket of Dilshan, utilizing young Mohammad Amir. Dilshan's wicket was massive. Within the opener, Kumar Sangakkara's team lacked power at the top and produced only 34 for 4 after six.

Shahid Afridi became the trump card of the team

The revival of Abdul Razzaq helped Pakistan a lot. In the final, the experienced pacer claimed 3 wickets against 20 runs in his 3-over spell. But the trump card of the Green Brigade was Shahid Afridi. Promoting him to the number three position worked magically for Pakistan.

Shahid Afridi scored 129 runs in his last three innings, after he moved up to No. 3, at a strike rate of 148.27. His hard-hitting continued against Sri Lanka; in the final game, it continued. After claiming 1 wicket, the all-rounder scored a match-winning 54* off 40 and inked his and his nation's name in the history book forever.