Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in the first T20 International in Rawalpindi on Friday, going 1-0 up in the three-match series, the Daily Mirror reported.
Sri Lanka batted first and posted 182 for eight, setting a target of 183. Pakistan reached 187 for six to win with wickets in hand.
Udara alone
Lahiru Udara top-scored for Sri Lanka with 91 off 55 balls, but the innings never built around him. The Daily Mirror reported that Sri Lanka’s batting “struggled to build momentum” at the other end.
Naseem Shah took three wickets for Pakistan. Debutant Mohammad Imran returned figures of 2 for 21.
Farhan’s answer
Pakistan’s new captain Sahibzada Farhan made 89 off 53 balls, and Maaz Sadaqat struck 50 off 28. Their 92-run partnership came after a quick powerplay and effectively settled the match.
The series
The three T20Is are all being played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, on 9, 11 and 13 October. Pakistan went into the series leading the head-to-head record 18-12 and ranked three places above Sri Lanka. The second match is on Sunday.
Not reported
The Daily Mirror report does not give the full scorecard, the overs taken in the chase, Sri Lanka’s bowling figures beyond the result, or the player-of-the-match award. It does not name Sri Lanka’s other contributors with the bat, say whether any player was injured, or report post-match comments from either captain.
This report rests on a single verified source. Ada Derana covered the toss but its site has been unreachable for nearly three weeks, and no other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had filed on the result at the time of writing.
