Sri Lanka showed great strength to beat Pakistan by 14 runs in a rain-shortened T20I match in Dambulla this Sunday. The win was very important for Sri Lanka, as it tied the three-match series 1-1 and gave them confidence before the T20I World Cup begins.
For Pakistan, these matches were vital practice. Because of political issues with India, PAK will play all their World Cup games in Sri Lanka, making them very familiar with these pitches. After Pakistan won the first game and the second was rained out, this final 12-over match became the decider.
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Sri Lanka’s Powerful Batting
Sri Lanka batted first and scored a high total of 160 runs in just 12 overs. Many players contributed to this score:
- Kusal Mendis started fast with 30 runs.
- Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka kept the runs coming quickly.
- Dasun Shanaka finished the innings brilliantly, scoring 34 runs from only 9 balls, including five huge sixes.
Run Chase
Pakistan started their chase very strongly. Their captain, Salman Agha, hit 45 runs off just 12 balls. It looked like Pakistan might win easily as they reached 50 runs in less than four overs.
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However, the game changed when the fielders moved back. The ball was wet and slippery, but Sri Lanka’s bowlers stayed calm. Wanindu Hasaranga was the hero, taking four wickets. This performance made him the first player to reach 150 wickets in T20I internationals.
PAK finished on 146 for 8, falling 14 runs short of the target. Hasaranga was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series. He said he was happy the team fixed their batting problems. Salman Agha felt Pakistan gave away too many runs but said the experience was great practice for the upcoming World Cup.