Shaheen Shah Afridi’s three-wicket performance, Hussain Talat’s all-round effort of two wickets and an unbeaten 32, and Mohammad Nawaz’s fiery 38 off 24 balls propelled Pakistan to a comfortable chase of 134, sealing a five-wicket victory with 12 balls remaining in the ACC T20 Asia Cup Super-Four clash against Sri Lanka at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday night.
In pursuit of the target, Sahibzada Farhan (24 off 15, 1×4, 2×6) and Fakhar Zaman (17 off 19, 2×4) provided a brisk start, putting on 45 runs for the opening wicket in just 5.3 overs. Both fell to Maheesh Theekshana in the last over of the powerplay, leaving Pakistan at 46 for two.
Saim Ayub and captain Salman Ali Agha were then dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga, reducing Pakistan to 57 for four in 8.1 overs. Mohammad Haris and Hussain Talat added 23 runs for the fifth wicket before Haris was bowled by Dushmantha Chameera for 13, leaving the score at 80 for five in 11.1 overs.
Talat and Nawaz then steadied the innings, putting together an unbeaten 58-run partnership off 41 balls to guide Pakistan home. They came together with Pakistan needing 54 off 53 balls, which later became 47 off 42 balls.
From the 14th over, Nawaz took control, hitting Hasaranga for back-to-back fours before sending Thushara over the boundary for another four off the first ball of the 15th over. The next over went for just four runs, after which Talat struck Hasaranga for two more fours, scoring 12 runs off the 17th over. With 14 needed off 18 balls, Nawaz finished the game in style, hitting Chameera for three successive sixes.
Earlier, Shaheen gave Pakistan an early advantage, dismissing Kusal Mendis for a golden duck in the opening over, taking his tally of first-over T20I wickets to 21—just one behind Oman’s Bilal Khan, who tops the list. Shaheen struck again in the third over to remove Pathum Nissanka, leaving Sri Lanka at 18 for two in 2.2 overs. Kusal Perera (15 off 12, 1×4, 1×6) and skipper Charith Asalanka (20 off 19, 2×4, 1×6) added 25 runs for the third wicket before Haris Rauf dismissed Perera, reducing Sri Lanka to 53 for three by the end of the powerplay.
Talat then delivered a decisive double strike in successive deliveries, removing Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka as Sri Lanka collapsed to 58 for five in 7.3 overs. Kamindu Mendis (50 off 44, 3×4, 2×6) and Wanindu Hasaranga (15 off 13, 2×4) tried to rebuild with a 22-run partnership, but Abrar Ahmed broke the stand by bowling Hasaranga in the first ball of the 13th over. Kamindu later added 43 runs with Chamith Karunaratne (17 off 21, 2×4) as Sri Lanka finished their innings at 133 for eight in 20 overs.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up 3 for 28, Hussain Talat impressed with 2 for 18 from three overs, and Haris Rauf claimed two wickets.