Sri Lanka edge Pakistan in thrilling contest

Sri Lanka have defeated Pakistan in a thrilling contest by six runs to claim the spot in the tri-nation series final on Thursday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

With this victory, Zimbabwe crashes out of the the series after managing to win only one victory out of three games.

Set a stiff 185, Pakistan fell short in the final over, scoring 178-7 at the end of their innings.

It was Chameera who tormented Pakistan’s top order with three wickets upfront and gave only three. As a result, Pakistan were 43-4 in 5.2 overs.

The right-arm pacer first removed Sahibzada Farhan, who was caught on nine, followed by Babar Azam’s wicket in the same over, who was sent packing for a duck.

From the other end, Eshan Malinga castled Saim Ayub, who was looking good. The left-hander made 27 off 18 with the aid of four boundaries and a six.

It was cheery on top for the Islanders when Chameera dismissed Fakhar Zaman for one, leaving the home side tottering.

However, Salman Ali Agha and Usman Khan arrested the slide and built a 56-run stand. The duo batted at a brisk rate, particularly Usman, who took Wanindu Hasaranga to the cleaners and belted him for a couple of sixes before getting caught.

Usman’s blitz (33 off 23) took the score to 99 in 12.2 overs before another crucial 70-run stand between Agha and Mohammad Nawaz lifted the home side’s hopes.

The pair managed to bring down the required rate with Salman Ali Agha scoring a half-century in the process.

Eventually, the equation went down to 10 from the final over, with Chameera bowling the final over.

The pacer bowled a super over under pressure and gave only three, including the wicket of Faheem Ashraf, while Salman, who took a single on the second ball of the over, looked diminished at the other end.

Chameera finished with four wickets to his name in four overs, whereas Eshan Malinga, who gave 54, also managed to scalp two wickets.

The final of the T20I tri-series will be played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Saturday, 29 November at the same venue.

Earlier, opening batter Kamil Mishara’s 76 off 48 propelled Sri Lanka to a strong total in a must-win T20I tri-series encounter.

Put into bat first, Sri Lanka put on 184-4 on the board in their allotted 20 overs.

After losing Pathum Nissanka (8) only in the second over, Kamil Mishara and Kusal Mendis stitched a 66-run partnership, bringing the score to 82 in 8.1 overs.

Mendis departed after scoring 40 from just 23 balls, laced with six fours and a maximum.

The duo batted with freedom and capitalized on the fielding restrictions in the opening six overs. Consequently, the Islanders were cruising on 58 at the end of the power play.

Mishara, meanwhile, continued on despite the removal of Kusal Perara, who made six from eight deliveries. At this stage, the scorecard read 96-3 in 10.4 overs.

However, incoming Janith Liyanage partnered with Mishara and put on a 57-run stand, which laid a foundation for a strong finish.

But it was Abrar Ahmed’s clinical bowling spell that put the brakes on the visitors’ charge and restricted them from reaching the 200-run mark, which was looking possible at one stage of the innings.

Abrar also took the crucial wicket of Mishara, who was caught after hitting three sixes and six fours. Janith Liyanage hit an unbeaten 24 off 24 with the aid of two boundaries.

For Pakistan, Abrar Ahmed picked up two wickets in his quota of four overs while giving away only 28.