Pakistan outclass Sri Lanka to keep Asia Cup title dream alive

Pakistan thrash Sri Lanka by five wickets in the T20 Asia Cup's Super Four stage, held at  Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 24NewsHD TV reported. 

Thus, Green Shirts secured two valuable points and kept their chances of reaching the tournament final alive. 

Chasing a target of 134 runs, Pakistan reached the mark in the 18th over despite facing early setbacks.

The men in green stumbled to 80 for five, with their top order collapsing under pressure.

Sahibzada Farhan scored 24, Fakhar Zaman provided resistance with a 17, while Saim Ayub (2), captain Salman Ali Agha (5), and Mohammad Haris (13) all fell cheaply to leave Pakistan in a precarious position.

Just when the match appeared to be tilting in Sri Lanka’s favor, Mohammad Nawaz and Hussain Talat steadied the innings with a composed and unbeaten partnership.

Nawaz struck an assured 38 not out, while Talat contributed a valuable 32 not out, guiding Pakistan to victory with 12 balls to spare.

The win not only secured Pakistan’s first points in the Super Four stage but also revived their hopes of qualifying for the final.

For Sri Lanka, Theekshana and Hasaranga bagged two wickets each, while Chameera could claim one. 

Earlier, Sri Lanka’s innings wavered after Pakistan’s bowlers produced an electrifying start, reducing the opposition to 58 for five inside the first half of the innings.

However, Kamindu Mendis steadied the side with a composed knock of 50 runs, keeping his team afloat when a collapse looked imminent.

Apart from Mendis, only Charith Asalanka (20) and Dasun Shanaka Perera (15) managed to reach double figures, while Pathum Nissanka (8), Kusal Mendis (0), Wanindu Hasaranga (15), and others failed to build on their starts.

Pakistan’s bowlers maintained pressure throughout, but Sri Lanka’s late resistance pushed the total past 133.

The left-handed batter top-scored for Sri Lanka with a valiant 50 off 44 deliveries, smashing three fours and two sixes.

Shaheen was the standout bowler for Pakistan, taking three wickets for just 28 runs in his four overs, followed by Haris Rauf and Talat with two each, while Abrar chipped in with one.

The Abu Dhabi clash is therefore viewed as a virtual knockout, with both teams determined to revive their campaign in the regional tournament.

Playing XIs

Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (capt), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
 
Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Agha (capt.), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris (wk), Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed