Sri Lanka Vs Pakistan Highlights, 1st T20I: PAK Stroll To 6-Wicket Win After SL Fold For 128

Welcome all the cricket buff, we're here with the live coverage of the first T20I between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla. Stay tuned to get the live score and latest updates of the final.

According to Accuweather, Dambulla is seeing mostly cloudy conditions with a chance of light rain and showers today, with temperatures hovering around the mid-20s°C and high humidity levels expected throughout the day. Winds will generally be mild from the northeast, and skies will remain overcast into the evening. The risk of rainfall remains moderate, so patches of light showers are possible near match times.

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Abdul Samad, Khawaja Nafay, Usman Khan(w), Salman Agha(c), Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq, Sahibzada Farhan, Abrar Ahmed

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Traveen Mathew, Eshan Malinga, Janith Liyanage, Dushmantha Chameera

Pakistan have won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(c), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed

Nissanka takes strike as he and Kamil Mishara settle in at the crease. Salman Mirza has the new ball in hand and is set to begin the attack.

A tidy over from Mirza but Nissanka keeps the scoreboard moving, cracking a boundary and rotating strike. Sri Lanka move to 12 without loss as Mishara plays watchfully early on.

Salman Mirza strikes with the early breakthrough as Kamil Mishara miscues a lofted drive and holes out to mid-off. Kusal Mendis walks in and plays cautiously, seeing off some tight bowling before edging one down to third man for a single. Sri Lanka move to 14/1 after a controlled over from Mirza, who finishes with figures of 2-0-8-1.

Mohammad Wasim Jr strikes with a big wicket as Pathum Nissanka’s pull shot balloons to deep square leg, where Nawaz holds on after a brief juggle. Dhananjaya de Silva walks in and plays cautiously, picking up a single, while Wasim finishes the over with a sharp bouncer to keep things tight. Sri Lanka slip to 16/2, with both openers back in the hut inside the powerplay.

Sri Lanka finish the powerplay on a positive note at 35/2, with Kusal Mendis leading the charge through a couple of crisp boundaries. Dhananjaya de Silva provided solid support, rotating strike and keeping the momentum alive after early wickets.

Shadab Khan completely turns the game on its head with a stunning double strike in the seventh over. He first traps Kusal Mendis lbw with a well-disguised googly before removing Dhananjaya de Silva, who edges one through to Usman Khan after an initial appeal was turned down. Sri Lanka lose two key wickets in quick succession and slip to 38/4, with new batters Janith Liyanage and Charith Asalanka forced to steady the innings after a devastating over from Shadab.

A productive over for Sri Lanka as Charith Asalanka takes charge, punishing anything loose with a clean six and smartly rotating the strike. Janith Liyanage chips in with a single as the pair add some much-needed momentum. Sri Lanka move to 59/4, finally finding some breathing space after the earlier wobble.

Abrar Ahmed makes an immediate impact, removing Charith Asalanka with a well-flighted delivery as the left-hander mistimes the slog-sweep and edges through to the keeper. Wanindu Hasaranga walks in and gets off the mark, while Janith Liyanage rotates strike to keep things moving. Sri Lanka lose another key wicket and slide to 74/5, with Pakistan tightening the screws through the middle overs.

A big over for Sri Lanka as Janith Liyanage cuts loose, smashing three boundaries to swing the momentum back. Wanindu Hasaranga chips in with quick runs as the pair pile on 16, taking Sri Lanka past the hundred to 106/5 and giving the innings some much-needed thrust.

Abrar Ahmed strikes again to halt Sri Lanka’s recovery, tempting Wanindu Hasaranga into a lofted shot that ends in Fakhar Zaman’s safe hands at long-off. Dasun Shanaka walks in and gets off the mark immediately, while Janith Liyanage continues to fight, adding a couple with a clever chip over the infield. Sri Lanka slip to 113/6 after a controlled over from Abrar, who tightens his grip on the innings.

Abrar Ahmed completes a superb spell by removing the well-set Janith Liyanage, who holes out to long-on after a valuable 40. Dushmantha Chameera walks in and struggles to get going, missing a googly and blocking the final ball. Despite Shanaka picking up a couple of twos earlier in the over, Sri Lanka slip to 127/7 as Abrar finishes with impressive figures of 4-0-25-3.

Salman Mirza tears through the lower order with a devastating over, picking up two wickets and conceding just a single run. He first removes Dasun Shanaka with a loose slash finding deep point, before Dushmantha Chameera chips a simple catch to extra cover. Nuwan Thushara struggles to get bat on ball as Mirza mixes cutters and pace cleverly. Sri Lanka collapse to 128/9, staring at the prospect of being bowled out with an over still remaining.

That’s the final blow. Mohammad Wasim Jr seals the innings as Maheesh Theekshana edges through to the keeper, confirmed after a successful review. Sri Lanka are bowled out for 128, collapsing sharply at the death after briefly threatening a recovery. Pakistan’s bowlers stay disciplined to wrap things up inside 20 overs.

Innings Break

Sahibzada Farhan takes strike with Saim Ayub alongside him at the crease. Nuwan Thushara has the ball in hand and is set to begin the attack for Sri Lanka.

A positive over for Pakistan as Sahibzada Farhan keeps the scoreboard moving, while Saim Ayub lights it up with a clean six. Nine runs come from the over and Pakistan move to 21 without loss, making a confident start to the chase.

Theekshana finally breaks through as Saim Ayub is bowled, and the bow-and-arrow comes out right on cue. Fired in full and straight at pace, it skids on quicker than Ayub expects as he looks to loft down the ground, misses completely, and watches middle stump get rattled. A simple, fast delivery does the job, even if the wicket arrives a touch late.

Dhananjaya tempts Fakhar Zaman out of his crease and the trap works perfectly. Fakhar charges down for a wild swing, misses everything, and Kusal Mendis is lightning-quick to whip the bails off. No chance of a return, and a scratchy stay ends with Fakhar trudging back after a rusty 5 off 10.

Pakistan edge closer to victory as Shadab Khan goes on the attack, striking back-to-back boundaries to swing momentum firmly their way. Usman Khan chips in with a single as 12 runs come off the over. With Pakistan on 119/4, they now need just 10 runs to win, firmly in control of the chase despite a few late hiccups.

Usman Khan seals it in style, dragging Charith Asalanka through square leg for a couple as Pakistan cruise home with ease. The chase ends at 129/4 in 16.4 overs, giving Pakistan a comfortable six-wicket win. Smiles all around in the Pakistan camp after a clinical performance, while Sri Lanka are left to reflect on a below-par showing after being bowled out for 128.

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