Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final of the tri-nation T20 series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Batting first, Sri Lanka posted 114 runs in their 20 overs, failing to build significant partnerships.
Pakistan chased down the target comfortably in 18.4 overs, losing four wickets in the process to secure a well-deserved victory and lift the series trophy.
Pakistan won the toss and opted to field, a decision that paid off as the bowlers kept pressure on Sri Lanka throughout the innings.
Sri Lanka struggled to build momentum, with only Kamal Mishra showing resistance. He top-scored with an impressive 59 runs, while no other batter managed to settle at the crease. Kusal Mendis scored 14, and Pathum Nissanka contributed 11.
Pakistan’s bowlers delivered a disciplined performance. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz claimed three wickets each, while Abrar Ahmed picked up two to restrict Sri Lanka to a below-par total.
Pakistan made one change to their playing XI for the final, bringing back Shaheen Afridi in place of Wasim Junior. Sri Lanka fielded an unchanged lineup for the title clash.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Fakhar Zaman, 6 Usman Khan (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Salman Mirza, 11 Abrar Ahmed
Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kamil Mishara, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, 5 Janith Liyanage, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Pavan Rathnayake, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Eshan Malinga
Who will lift the trophy of the tri-nation T20 International (T20I) series will be decided today as Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in the final to be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.
Sri Lanka finished at the 2nd position on the points table after the league stages and qualified for the final.
The top run scorer for Sri Lanka in the series is Pathum Nissanka with 123 runs to his name, while the top wicket-taker for the team is Dushmantha Chameera with seven scalps under his belt.
Pakistan, on the other hand, finished at the first position on points table after league stages.
The top run scorer for Pakistan in the series is Sahibzada Farhan with 168 runs to his name, while the top wicket-taker is Mohammad Nawaz with seven scalps under his belt.
Sri Lanka emerged winners in their last outing (last league game).
Sri Lanka batted first and they posted a total of 184 for 5 in 20 overs.
Pathum Nissanka got out without troubling the scorers much.
After his dismissal, Kamil Mishara and Kusal Mendis played superbly. Mishara made 76 runs off 48 balls while Mendis scored 40 runs in 23 deliveries.
They laid the foundation for a big total.
Janith Liyanage and Dasun Shanaka also contributed healthily and helped Sri Lanka get to 184 in 20 overs of play.
During the chase, Pakistan lost three early wickets and looked to be in deep waters when Saim Ayub and Salman Agha came at the creese and steered the team out of crisis. They scored 27 and 63 runs, respectively.
Saim got out at a wrong time though and it hampered the scoring rate. Mohammad Nawaz and Salman Agha scored 27 and 63 runs, respectively but failed to win the game for Pakistan as the hosts eventually fell short by just six runs.
Let's have a look at the squads:
Pakistan
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper), Usman Tariq
Sri Lanka
Charith Asalanka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga