Colombo: Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has backed his young, injury-depleted side to beat Pakistan in the final one-dayer and level series.

Sri Lanka trail 0-1 after losing a tense low-scoring encounter at Premadasa International Stadium by four wickets, a defeat that means they are no longer guaranteed a place in the ICC Champions Trophy later this year in India. The final ODI is on Wednesday.

“Obviously it is hard when you lose the services of players of the calibre of Maravan (Atapattu) and Chaminda (Vaas) but this is a great opportunity for young players.

“When I look around the dressing room I can see a lot of exciting talent and believe that if we can put together a more applied batting performance on Wednesday then we will beat Pakistan.” (Agencies)