Farhan, Sadaqat power Pakistan to victory over Sri Lanka in T20 opener

Sahibzada Farhan celebrated his elevation to the Pakistan Twenty20 captaincy with a 52-ball 89 as Sri Lanka was beaten by four wickets on Friday.

Sahibzada Farhan played a decisive role in guiding Pakistan to a convincing victory, powering the team to 187-6 in just 18.5 overs. He produced an aggressive batting display, smashing 10 fours and four sixes to keep Pakistan firmly on course during the chase.

His impressive stroke play and ability to find the boundary regularly put the opposition bowlers under pressure and helped Pakistan reach the target with seven balls to spare.

Maaz Sadaqat also made a significant contribution, scoring a quickfire 50 off just 29 deliveries to provide valuable support in the batting line-up

His half-century helped maintain the scoring rate and strengthened Pakistan’s position as the team moved closer to victory.

The combined efforts of Farhan and Sadaqat ensured Pakistan completed the chase successfully, securing a win and taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Opening batter Lahiru Udara’s 91 gave Sri Lanka a fighting total of 182-8 against a new-look Pakistan pace attack that featured debutants Mohammad Imran and Razaullah.

The opening pair of Farhan and Fakhar Zaman (21) didn’t allow the Sri Lanka pacers to settle down in the powerplay as they combined for 54 off 31 balls.

Tall fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera’s two overs in the powerplay went for 32 runs.

Sadaqat struck two sixes and a four in the first four deliveries he faced against Eshan Malinga and settled the chase in the brisk stand of 92 off 53 balls with Farhan.

Sadaqat reached a significant milestone by completing his maiden T20 half-century in just 28 balls, producing an impressive innings that provided Pakistan with valuable momentum.

He displayed attacking intent throughout his knock, finding the boundaries regularly and keeping the scoreboard moving with an aggressive approach.

However, his celebration was short-lived, as he was dismissed on the very next delivery, trapped leg-before-wicket (lbw) by Maheesh Theekshana, who finished with figures of 2-36. Sadaqat’s timely contribution helped strengthen Pakistan’s position, although his dismissal gave Sri Lanka a much-needed breakthrough as they looked to regain control of the contest.

Sri Lanka hit back briefly when Chameera grabbed his 100th T20 wicket by having Hasan Nawaz caught behind down the leg side and Theekshana clean-bowled Saim Ayub on 8 by a delivery that kept low.

When Farhan, who counterattacked Theekshana with a six and three fours in one over, finally holed out to a spectacular diving catch by Sahan Arachchige at midwicket, Pakistan was only three runs from victory.

Udara, playing in his fifth T20, struck 11 fours and a six in his 55-ball knock before he fell in the penultimate over.

Naseem Shah (3-36), recalled to the T20 squad after Pakistan left out Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Haris, gave Pakistan a strong start when he dismissed captain Kusal Mendis on 1 in the first over.

Kamil Mishara struggled in the powerplay and gave Fakhar Zaman one of his three catches and his wicket to Pakistan’s stand-out bowler Imran, who picked up 2-21 on debut.

But Udara revived Sri Lanka by putting on 60 runs with Kamindu Mendis (23) against the spinners and another 57 runs with Dasun Shanaka (18).

Udara completed his half-century off 32 balls and was caught in the deep in Shah’s final over as Sri Lanka hit 66 runs in the final six overs.

The remaining two matches are on Sunday and Tuesday, both in Rawalpindi.

Agencies