Pakistan notched a commanding six-wicket win over Sri Lanka within the opening match of the three-game sequence in Dambulla on Wednesday.
Touted as a gown rehearsal for the World Cup, which Sri Lanka will co-host with India, the sequence holds added significance for Pakistan, which is able to play all its event matches on the island owing to political tensions with India.
Pakistan ticked most packing containers on the night time, first bottling Sri Lanka up for a modest 128 after which knocking off the goal with 20 deliveries to spare, barely breaking sweat.
The sport tilted decisively in Pakistan’s favour early, with Shadab Khan ripping the guts out of the Sri Lankan innings by hanging twice in his very first over.
The leg-spinner, returning after shoulder surgical procedure and enjoying his first match for Pakistan since June final yr, marked his comeback with a telling spell.
“When you find yourself getting back from harm, it’s robust. You must begin from zero, however the floor was serving to me. Now we have our eyes on the World Cup. With all our video games being performed right here in Sri Lanka, this can be a superb sequence for us,” player-of-the-match Shadab stated.
Abrar Ahmed complemented Shadab neatly, ending with 3-25, whereas left-arm fast Salman Mirza bowled with fireplace, mopping up the tail with figures of 3-18 as Sri Lanka was bowled out with 4 balls unused.
AS IT HAPPENED: SL VS PAK, 1ST T20I HIGHLIGHTS
In the course of the run chase, opener Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan flew out of the blocks, racing to 50 in simply 25 balls.
Nuwan Thushara bore the brunt of the assault, conceding 31 runs in his first two overs as Pakistan seized early management.
Farhan anchored the chase with a fluent 51 off 36 balls, peppered with 4 fours and two sixes — his eighth T20I half-century — as Pakistan cruised dwelling with out alarm.
For Sri Lanka, the defeat compounds a turbulent lead-up to the sequence that noticed captain Charith Asalanka axed, chairman of selectors Upul Tharanga proven the door, and the teaching workers reshuffled.
With little time to catch its breath, the host faces a swift rethink forward of the second match on Friday on the identical venue.
“We didn’t get an excellent begin and misplaced too many wickets. That is a matter we have to handle. We recovered properly and may have gotten over 150, however we misplaced fast wickets,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka stated.
Printed on Jan 07, 2026