Farhan smashes 80 off 45 balls, Mohammad Nawaz snares 3 batters for 16 runs
Abdul Jabbar Faisal
RAWALPINDI: A couple of notable performances, Sahibzada Farhan (80 not out off 45 balls) and Mohammad Nawaz (3 for 16), guided Green Shirts to post a big triumph against Sri Lanka in the 3rd game of the T20 Tri-Nation Series here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday night.
Hosts opening batters Sahibzada and Saim Ayub (20, 18b, 4x4s) provided their team a blistering 47-run stand in five overs before the latter departed. Saim also became just the ninth Pakistan batter to cross the 1,000 T20I runs landmark during the outing. Sahibzada then stitched a 69-run second-wicket stand with Babar Azam (16, 22b, 1x6) in which he contributed 53 runs also bringing up his sixth T20I half-century off 33 balls.
With Dushmantha Chameera striking twice on consecutive balls, Sahibzada kept his charge going and ended hit the winning runs in style with a boundary in the 16th over. The right-handed opening batter struck six fours and five sixes also becoming the Pakistan batter to hit 100 or more sixes in T20s in a year.
Earlier, Sri Lanka got off to a flying start with Kamil Mishara hitting two fours and as many sixes before departing in the fourth over with 32 runs on the board. Pakistan further dented Sri Lanka’s progress in the subsequent when Mohammad Wasim Jnr’s brilliant throw from third run out Kusal Mendis.
Sri Lanka’s score of 65-3 at the halfway mark turned to 78-5 in the 12th over, when player of the match Mohammad Nawaz removed Kusal Perera (25, 19b, 2x4s, 1x6) and Dasun Shanaka on consecutive deliveries. Nawaz returned to remove Kamindu Mendis in the 14th over as Sri Lanka slipped to 86-6.
Janith Liyanage, who top scored for Sri Lanka with 41 off 38 balls hitting three fours and one six, then formed a 31-ball 35-run seventh-wicket stand with Wanindu Hasaranga (11, 12b, 1x4) as they posted a fighting 128-7 in 20 overs. Apart from Nawaz’s 3-16 in four overs, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza and Abrar Ahmed struck once each.
Scores in brief:
3rd T20I – Tri-nation series – Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Sri Lanka 128-7, 20 overs (Janith Liyanage 41 not out, Kusal Perera 25, Kamil Mishara 22; Mohammad Nawaz 3-16)
Pakistan 131-3, 15.3 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 80 not out, Saim Ayub 20; Dushmantha Chameera 2-29)
Series schedule:
18 November – First T20I – Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by five wickets
20 November – Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs
22 November – Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets
23 November – Pakistan v Zimbabwe
25 November – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe
27 November – Pakistan v Sri Lanka
29 November – Final
