Lights out for Sri Lanka as Pakistan win in nervy chase

Wednesday, 24 September 2025 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Kamindu Mendis was the stand-out performer for Sri Lanka with a half-century

Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga rattled Pakistan with four wickets

Shaheen Afridi set the ball rolling for Pakistan with two wickets in the power play

Asia Cup Super-Fours match

ABU DHABI: Six times champions Sri Lanka found themselves fading out of the Asia Cup with their second straight defeat in the Super Fours when Pakistan beat them by five wickets at the Zayed Cricket Stadium here yesterday.

Sri Lanka lost to Bangladesh by four wickets in their opening Super Fours fixture on Saturday. With no points on the board against their name and with only one Super Four game in hand to play against India on Friday, Sri Lanka could consider themselves virtually out of the final.

Both teams came to this match with one loss against their name but Pakistan with a brilliant bowling and fielding display outplayed Sri Lanka even though there were moments in the run chase when Pakistan’s questionable batting was put to the test. Spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana caused some flutter in the Pakistani dressing room by capturing four wickets between them as Pakistan slumped to 80-5, chasing a target of 134.

However, Hussain Talat (32* off 30 balls, 4 fours) and Mohammad Nawaz (38* off 24 balls, 3 fours, 3 sixes) calmed the nerves playing risk-free cricket to get Pakistan over the line with two overs to spare. The pair figured in an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 58 off 41 balls.

Sri Lanka’s record of not having lost a single T20I match played at this venue was broken with yesterday’s defeat.

Earlier, Shaheen Afridi set the tone in the very first over for Pakistan and the rest fell into place. Pakistan’s bowling was top notch and the fielding even better. They never allowed Sri Lanka off the hook and always kept the pressure on. Picking up three wickets in the power play helped, and Hussain Talat dealt the killer blow by picking two wickets in one over.

Kamindu Mendis fought a lone battle for Sri Lanka and it was his fifty (50 off 44 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes) that took Sri Lanka to 133-8 after being put into bat first. The pitch had something in it for the bowlers as the pacers and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed were among the wickets, but it was definitely not a 133 kind of surface. Pakistan delivered 60 dot balls which was half the number of balls faced in the entire innings. That alone told of the control the bowlers had over the Lankan batsmen. Abrar especially tied down the batsmen – his 4 overs yielding just 8 runs and 16 dot balls.