Sahibzada Farhan stars as Pakistan defeat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in T20

Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the first match of the three-match T20 series, taking an early 1-0 lead, 24NewsHD TV reported.

Chasing a target of 129 runs, Pakistan reached the mark in the 17th over, losing 4 wickets in the process.

The chase was anchored by Sahibzada Farhan, who scored a brilliant 51 off 36 balls.

Saim Ayub contributed 24 runs, while captain Salman Ali Agha made 16 and Fakhar Zaman added 5.

Shadab Khan (18*) and Usman Khan (7*) remained unbeaten to guide Pakistan home comfortably.

Earlier, Pakistan’s bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 128 all out in 19.2 overs.

Sri Lanka’s top scorer was Janith Liyanage with 40 runs, while Hasaranga and Asalanka contributed 18 runs each.

 

For Pakistan, Salman Mirza and Abrar Ahmed claimed 3 wickets each, while Shadab Khan and Mohammad Wasim chipped in with 2 wickets apiece.

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, after winning the toss, invited the opposition to bat first, aiming to make early inroads with the ball.

All-rounder Shadab Khan has made a return to Pakistan’s final playing XI, strengthening the team’s balance.

Squads  

Sri Lanka XI: 1 Nissanka, 2 Mishara, 3 K Mendis, 4 De Silva, 5 Asalanka, 6 Shanaka, 7 Liyanage, 8 Hasaranga, 9 Chameera, 10 Theekshana, 11 Thushara

Pakistan XI: 1 Ayub, 2 Farhan, 3 Agha, 4 Fakhar, 5 Usman, 6 Shadab, 7 Nawaz, 8 Faheem, 9 Wasim, 10 Mirza, 11 Abrar