We showed a lot of character says Jayawardene

"The guys showed a lot of character," said Sri Lanka skipper, Mahela Jayawardene.

"We had a long chat about the way we played yesterday, but we pulled our socks up, put our chins up and prepared for this match. I’m proud of the way the players responded. We made a lot of mistakes yesterday, but that didn’t happen today.”

"I thought we played a very good game, maybe our batting could have been better, but we batted well. There was an improvement in our bowling as well from yesterday and the guys kept the pressure on and created opportunities."

"I think our bowling department has been very consistent in the last 12 months," he said.

"We have been picking up early wickets and that makes the job much easier for the two spinners who are our strike bowlers. It’s not easy to score against them (Murali and Mendis) as well, so we just need to create those opportunities at the start.”

"I thought the bowlers hit the right areas today and didn’t give the Pakistani batsmen room."

"I spent some time out in the middle although I was very disappointed with the way I got out," he said. "I tried to get it right again and its not easy, but hopefully I can contribute a little more to the team cause."

"We came to Pakistan to win another trophy and that’s something we are looking forward to doing," Jayawardene said.

"We won two in Bangladesh and the third one here would be three in a row before we head back home. Winning is a good habit to have and we are looking forward to the final."

"The wicket was good, but we didn’t start very well," said Pakistan skipper, Shoaib Malik. "The bowlers didn’t hit the right areas either and that pegged us back. I think we conceded about 20 or 30 runs more than we had planned on doing and chasing a big target is pretty difficult especially given the quality of their spin attack.”

"We lost too many early wickets and that made it even more difficult. We made mistakes and we should work on it before the final match. It is an important match for us and we will give it our best," Malik added.