Thursday Nov 12, 2026
Thursday Nov 12, 2026
Monday, 12 October 2026 02:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan took a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series when they beat Sri Lanka by 82 runs in the second T20I played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium yesterday.
Sri Lanka came up with another spineless batting display to score a miserly 133-7 in reply to Pakistan’s daunting total of 215-3.
Once again, it was the same trio that made the difference between the two sides. With the bat, Player of the Match Maaz Sadaqat and Sahibzada Farhan set the tone with half-centuries, and Imran Randhawa led the charge with the ball.
After smashing 84 in the final six overs, Pakistan carried all the momentum into the second innings and made full use of it, by picking up four wickets in eight overs. Sri Lanka needed a strong powerplay to have any chance of chasing down this mammoth total, but they struggled to get going, managing just 35 runs and playing far too many dot balls. Pakistan were disciplined with their lengths and used their variations to great effect to seal a comprehensive win.
For Pakistan Captain Sahibzada Farhan it was a winning start for his T20I captaincy as his team took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. A sensational 51-ball 96 (6 fours, 7 sixes) from Maaz propelled Pakistan to 215 which was too much for Sri Lanka. This was Pakistan’s highest T20I score at home. Their overall highest is 232-6 against England, which they scored back in 2021, at Nottingham.
Farhan was dismissed in the 15th over for 73 scored off 44 balls (4 fours, 5 sixes) but Maaz kept going and was only just one shot away from a hundred when he was dismissed off the final ball of the innings. All the bowlers, barring Nuwan Thushara, suffered at the hands of the duo on another good batting pitch.
It turned out to be a fairly one-sided contest in the end as Sri Lanka shelled three chances - including Farhan and Maaz, and were made to pay for it dearly. The third and final T20I will be played tomorrow.
