4 months ago
2
Sri Lanka ended a 14-year drought by beating Pakistan successful a Twenty20 crippled astatine location to gully their three-match bid 1-1.
The hosts won the 3rd T20 by 14 runs connected Sunday (January 11, 2026).
In a rain-reduced match, Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka smashed 5 sixes successful 34 runs disconnected 9 balls that propelled Sri Lanka to a beardown 160-6 successful its allotted 12 overs aft Pakistan won the flip and chose to bowl.
Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha matched his counterpart with a blistering 45 disconnected conscionable 12 balls earlier Sri Lanka accelerated bowlers Matheesha Pathirana (2-34) and Eshan Malinga (1-27) bowled 2 tidy overs astatine the extremity and restricted the visitors to 146-8.
Pakistan won the archetypal T20 by six wickets earlier the 2nd crippled was washed retired without a shot being bowled successful Dambulla.
The bid was portion of some teams' preparations for adjacent month's T20 World Cup to beryllium jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan is owed to play each its World Cup games successful Sri Lanka.
Agha had slashed the people to 101 wrong the archetypal 4 overs of Pakistan's lively pursuit erstwhile helium smacked 3 sixes and 5 fours. But Pathirana provided a important breakthrough erstwhile Agha holed retired to abbreviated good limb portion attempting a ramp changeable against the pacer.
Key wrist-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (4-35) past picked up 2 wickets successful his archetypal 5 deliveries — Saim Ayub and Usman Khan were caught successful the outfield arsenic Pakistan slipped to 67-4.
Mohammad Nawaz (28) and debutant wicketkeeper-batter Khawaja Nafay (26) revived the pursuit with a breezy 49-run basal earlier Hasaranga grabbed 2 much wickets successful his last over.
With 30 needed disconnected the last 2 overs, Pathirana cleanable bowled Nawaz with a slower transportation successful the penultimate implicit which went for 10 runs. Malinga's last implicit conceded conscionable 5 runs, including 4 wides.
It was Sri Lanka's archetypal T20 triumph against Pakistan astatine location since 2012.
Sri Lanka's precocious flurry
Sri Lanka's top-order batters earlier kept scoring astatine a accelerated gait successful challenging conditions for the bowlers, who had to vessel with the bedewed shot owed to soggy outfield.
Opener Kamil Mishara scored 20 disconnected 8 balls; Kusal Mendis capitalized connected a dropped drawback with a sound of 30 disconnected 16; and erstwhile white-ball skipper Charith Asalanka scored 21 disconnected 13.
Shanaka and Janith Liyanage (22 not retired disconnected 8 balls) provided the precocious flurry arsenic Sri Lanka scored 58 runs successful the last 3 overs - 19 runs successful the 10th over, 15 successful the 11th and 24 successful the 12th.
Shanaka stayed heavy successful his crease and smacked Wasim for 3 successive sixes successful the past over.
Pakistan volition play a three-match T20 bid against Australia astatine location earlier the T20 World Cup begins Feb. 7 portion Sri Lanka hosts England successful a white-ball bid aboriginal this month.
