Pakistan secured a commanding seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the third T20I of the tri-series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday, marking their second consecutive win in the series.
Chasing a modest total of 129, Pakistan never looked under pressure, thanks to a masterful innings from Sahibzada Farhan.
Farhan and Saim Ayub laid the foundation for the chase with a 47-run partnership inside the powerplay.
Farhan continued to dominate the Sri Lankan attack, punishing anything loose with brutal power.
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He finished unbeaten on 80 off just 45 balls, striking five sixes and six boundaries.
His final shot, a lofted four off Eshan Malinga, sealed the win with authority.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled to make early breakthroughs.
Although Chameera dismissed Babar Azam and Salman Agha in successive deliveries, it was just a minor blip in Pakistan’s chase.
Farhan’s aggressive yet calculated innings ensured the team never wavered.
Earlier, Mohammad Nawaz delivered a brilliant spell to help Pakistan hold Sri Lanka to a below-average score.
READ: Pakistan overcomes Zimbabwe to hand them sixth T20I defeat in Pakistan
After choosing to bat first, Sri Lanka struggled to build any momentum and finished on 128 for 7 in their 20 overs.
Janith Liyanage was the only batter who showed resistance with a steady and composed 41 off 38 balls, including three fours and a six.
Sri Lanka made a bright start when opener Kamil Mishara attacked early, hitting two sixes and two fours in a quick 22 from 12 balls.
However, Faheem Ashraf removed him in the fourth over, and just moments later, Mohammad Wasim Jr produced a sharp run-out to dismiss Kusal Mendis, leaving Sri Lanka at 38 for 2.
Although Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka tried to stabilise the innings with cautious batting, Abrar Ahmed broke through by bowling Nissanka at the start of the ninth over.
Soon after, Perera also fell, opening the door for Pakistan to tighten their grip.
Nawaz then took charge of the middle overs, sparking a collapse with three key wickets in quick succession.
Two of his strikes came in the same over, pushing Sri Lanka down to 86 for 6 in the 14th over.
Liyanage kept fighting at one end and added a useful 35-run stand with Wanindu Hasaranga, who scored 11 before falling late in the innings.
But despite his effort, Sri Lanka never recovered enough to challenge Pakistan’s bowlers.
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Nawaz finished as Pakistan’s best performer with the ball, claiming impressive figures of 3 for 16.
Abrar, Faheem, and Salman Mirza picked up one wicket each as Pakistan completed a strong and controlled performance.
With this victory, Pakistan firmly held the top spot in the tri-series table, while Sri Lanka now find themselves on the verge of elimination after losing both their matches against Zimbabwe and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe sits in second place with one win from two matches.
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Pakistan clinches victory over Sri Lanka
Sahibzada Farhan’s 80 off 45 balls powered Pakistan to a 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka, securing their second win in the T20I tri-series.
8:58 pm -
Nissanka leaps at deep midwicket
Nissanka leaps at deep midwicket to save what looked like a certain six off Sahibzada Farhan.
8:42 pm -
Fifty for Sahibzada Farhan
Sahibzada Farhan hits his 6th T20I fifty on just 33 balls, anchoring Pakistan’s chase.
8:40 pm -
Sahibzada Farhan anchors Pakistan’s chase
Sahibzada Farhan leads Pakistan’s reply with 37 off 28, keeping the chase under control at 68-1 after 10 overs.
8:33 pm -
Saim Ayub departs
Pakistan lose their opener as Saim Ayub is cleverly stumped by Kusal Mendis off Dasun Shanaka, leaving the score at 47-1.
8:13 pm -
Pakistan off to a strong start
Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan put on a strong opening stand, guiding Pakistan to 42 without loss after four overs.
8:06 pm -
Sri Lanka finish on 128
Sri Lanka ended their innings at 128 for 7, losing momentum after Nawaz’s breakthroughs. Janith Liyanage held the innings together with an unbeaten 41, but Pakistan stayed in control throughout.
7:32 pm -
Sri Lanka steady at 121/6
Janith Liyanage and Wanindu Hasaranga add useful runs to take Sri Lanka to 121/6 in 18.3 overs, building a 35-run partnership after the team lost early wickets.
7:25 pm -
Wasim takes a blinder
Kamindu Mendis attempts a slog but is brilliantly caught at deep mid-wicket by Mohammad Wasim, giving Nawaz another crucial wicket.
7:07 pm -
Kusal Perera bowled
Perera misses the gap on a flighted delivery, and the ball sneaks through to hit the off stump, ending his 25-run innings.
6:55 pm -
Pathum Nissanka departs
Nissanka attempts a big shot but mistimes it and is caught by Babar Azam at long-off, ending his 17-run innings. Third wicket down for Sri Lanka.
6:44 pm -
Sri Lanka steady at 60/2
Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera add quick runs, keeping Sri Lanka in touch. They have scored 17 and 13 runs respectively, building a cautious partnership.
6:40 pm -
Kusal Mendis run out for 3
Mendis took a risky second run and was run out by Mohammad Wasim’s sharp throw. Faheem Ashraf’s delivery created the chance, gifting Pakistan an easy wicket.
6:30 pm -
Kamil Mishara falls
Mishara mistimed a straight shot and was caught at mid-on by Fakhar Zaman. Faheem Ashraf’s clever delivery ended his entertaining 22-run innings off 12 balls.
6:20 pm -
Ramiz Raja praised Wasim Jr
Ramiz Raja praised Waseem Jr, saying his throw is like a rocket.6:10 pm -
Pitch Report
The pitch shows cracks and dryness, making early batting tricky. Dew later may help the team batting second. Historically, Rawalpindi has seen 200+ totals in most matches. Teams should start cautiously and build their innings, says Pommie Mbangwa.
5:45 pm -
Shaheen Shah Afridi sustained foot fascial injury
The pacer is under close observation by the medical team. He is not playing today’s match as a precautionary measure.
5:40 pm -
Playing XI
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Dasun Shanaka (c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga, Vijayakanth ViyaskanthPakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Agha (c), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed5:35 pm -
Toss Update
Sri Lanka choose to bat after winning the toss. The visitors aim to set a strong total as they open the innings, hoping to capitalize on favorable batting conditions.
5:30 pm -
Head to Head in T20Is
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have met in 24 T20Is, with Pakistan winning 14 and Sri Lanka 10.
3:30 pm -
Welcome to live coverage
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, the third T20I of the tri-nation series.
Pakistan already won the first T20I of the series, having edged past Zimbabwe in the final over.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe bounced back against Sri Lanka, defeating them by 67 runs in their encounter on Thursday.
3:25 pm
