Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka by Six Wickets as Shadab, Abrar Shine in T20I Opener
Shadab Khan made an impressive return to international cricket as Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the first T20I at Dambulla.
Shadab and Abrar Ahmed combined to restrict Sri Lanka to just 128, with Abrar claiming three wickets while Shadab picked two in a tidy spell.
Pakistan chased the target comfortably thanks to a fluent half-century from Sahibzada Farhan, finishing the match with 20 balls to spare and taking a 1-0 lead in the series
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Making his return to international cricket after last featuring in June last year, Shadab Khan delivered a strong all-round bowling performance as Pakistan secured a convincing six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Rangiri Dambulla Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Shadab combined effectively with mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed to dismantle Sri Lanka’s batting lineup, restricting the hosts to a modest 128-run total. Pakistan then chased down the target comfortably, thanks to a fluent half-century from Sahibzada Farhan, finishing the match with 20 balls remaining.
Shadab was economical throughout his spell, conceding just 25 runs in four overs while picking up two crucial wickets. He struck early, claiming both dismissals in his opening over, and was unlucky not to add a third after a dropped catch later in his spell.
Introduced into the attack in the seventh over following early breakthroughs by Mohammad Wasim and Salman Mirza — which limited Sri Lanka to 35-2 in the powerplay — Shadab made an immediate impact. He trapped Kusal Mendis lbw while attempting a sweep and followed it up by inducing an inside edge from Dhananjaya de Silva, safely caught by wicketkeeper Usman Khan.
With Sri Lanka struggling at 59-4 midway through the innings, Abrar Ahmed tightened the noose. The leg-spinner deceived Charith Asalanka with a sharp googly, drawing an edge behind to leave the hosts five down by the 12th over.
Wanindu Hasaranga attempted to mount a brief counterattack, lofting Abrar for a boundary, while Kamindu Liyanage joined in with aggressive strokes against Mohammad Nawaz. The pair managed to take Sri Lanka past the 100-run mark, aided by a fortunate edge that raced to the boundary.
Hasaranga again targeted Abrar with a straight six but was caught at deep cover by Fakhar Zaman for 18 off 12 balls, ending the only partnership that showed resistance. Liyanage’s knock of 40 from 31 deliveries came to an end in the 18th over when he was caught in the deep off Abrar, who finished with figures of 3-25.
Salman Mirza returned to dismiss captain Dasun Shanaka and Dushmantha Chameera, while Wasim cleaned up the tail as Sri Lanka were bowled out cheaply.
Pakistan’s chase got off to an explosive start, with openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan racing to 59-1 inside the powerplay. Saim was dismissed on the final delivery of the sixth over after a quick 24 off 18 balls, which included three boundaries and a towering six over cover.
Sahibzada continued to dominate, punishing Chameera with powerful sixes down the ground and over square leg. He maintained the momentum even after captain Salman Ali Agha joined him, with Pakistan reaching 92-1 by the halfway point.
Salman Agha fell for a brisk 16, followed soon after by Sahibzada, who brought up his third half-century in five matches — a well-crafted 51 off 36 balls — before being caught at mid-off.
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Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal briefly gave Sri Lanka hope, but Shadab Khan stepped in with an unbeaten 18 off 12 deliveries. His confident strokeplay, including a square drive and a pull shot for consecutive boundaries, sealed the win as Pakistan crossed the target comfortably.
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