Farhan 89 On Captaincy Debut As Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka In Rawalpindi

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in Rawalpindi on Friday, and Sahibzada Farhan marked his first match as T20I captain with 89 from 53 balls. Sri Lanka made 182 for 8. Pakistan overhauled the target of 183 with seven balls unused. They lead the three-match series 1-0.

Farhan has replaced Salman Ali Agha in the job. Two players made their Pakistan T20I debuts under him on the same night. Mohammad Imran took 2 for 21 from four overs. Razaullah took one.

Sadaqat answers with a 29-ball fifty

Fakhar Zaman went for 21 from 13 with the score on 54. Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat then added 92 for the second wicket. Sadaqat reached fifty from 29 balls. Pakistan had 70 on the board after the powerplay. The stand took the chase past halfway.

Farhan fell for 89, caught by Sahan Arachchige off Nuwan Thushara. Four wickets went fell in the closing overs. Hasan Nawaz made 1 and Saim Ayub 8. Shadab Khan went without scoring. Khawaja Nafay saw it home, unbeaten on 12.

Udara's 91 and the extras column

Kusal Mendis chose to bat. Lahiru Udara made 91 from 55 and found little support. Kamindu Mendis contributed 23 from 18 and Dasun Shanaka 18 from 15. Nobody else reached double figures. Naseem Shah took 3 for 36 from his four overs. He had Udara caught by Hasan Nawaz and also removed Kusal Mendis and Dunith Wellalage.

Pakistan conceded 29 extras, 18 of them wides. That is a sizeable chunk of a 182 total. Sri Lanka were 140 for 5 at one stage and added 42 from there.

Debut figures from Mohammad Imran

Imran conceded a single run in his opening over. He gave up 19 across three powerplay overs and finished with 2 for 21 from four. He removed Kamil Mishara and Sahan Arachchige. Saim Ayub and Shadab Khan took one each, Razaullah the other.

Eshan Malinga took 2 for 33 for Sri Lanka. Maheesh Theekshana also took two, bowling Saim Ayub and trapping Sadaqat in front. Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara claimed one apiece. Sri Lanka used six bowlers in all.

• Sri Lanka 182 for 8 in 20 overs: Udara 91 (55), Kamindu Mendis 23 (18), Shanaka 18 (15)
• Pakistan chased 183 with seven balls to spare: Farhan 89 (53), Sadaqat 50 (29), Fakhar Zaman 21 (13)
• Pakistan bowling: Naseem Shah 3 for 36, Mohammad Imran 2 for 21 on debut, Razaullah 1 wicket
• Sri Lanka bowling: Theekshana 2 wickets, Malinga 2 for 33, Chameera and Thushara 1 each

Two more T20Is in Rawalpindi

Both captains are new to parts of the job. Kusal Mendis took the Sri Lanka Test captaincy this week and now leads in all three formats. Farhan has one match behind him. Sri Lanka are also without Wanindu Hasaranga, who was ruled out when the touring squad was named.

The second T20I is at the same ground on Sunday 11 October. The third follows on 13 October, again in Rawalpindi. All three are scheduled for a 6pm local start. Pakistan need one more win to take the series.