Maaz Sadaqat narrowly missed his maiden T20I century, but his explosive batting helped Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 82 runs in the second T20 International in Rawalpindi on Sunday. The victory gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Sadaqat smashed 96 off 51 balls, while Sahibzada Farhan scored 73 off 44 deliveries as Pakistan posted 215/3, their highest T20 total at home. Mohammad Imran then took three wickets for just 11 runs to restrict Sri Lanka to 133/7, giving Pakistan their biggest T20I win against the visitors.
Pakistan made the most of Sri Lanka's poor fielding, with the visitors dropping three catches during the innings. Sadaqat, who was dropped on 44, and Farhan, who got reprieves on two and 11, made the opposition pay.
The pair added 88 runs for the second wicket in just 49 balls, putting Pakistan in a strong position. Farhan hit five sixes and four fours before his innings ended in the 15th over when he was caught by Dasun Shanaka.
Sadaqat continued his attack and shared another quick partnership with Hasan Nawaz, who remained unbeaten on 19. The pair added 72 runs off just 31 balls for the third wicket.
Sadaqat hit seven sixes and six fours before being dismissed off the final delivery of the innings. His seven sixes matched the record for the most sixes by a Pakistan batter in a T20 match.
Pakistan scored 70 runs in the final five overs to finish on 215/3. Their previous highest T20 total at home was 208/3 against the West Indies in Karachi five years ago.
Sri Lanka struggled to keep up with the required scoring rate during their chase and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Medium pacer Mohammad Imran led Pakistan's bowling effort with figures of 3/11. His performance helped restrict Sri Lanka to 133/7 and seal a comfortable victory.
Maheesh Theekshana remained unbeaten on 32, while Chamindu Wickramasinghe scored 29. Kamindu Mendis contributed 23 and Sineth Jayawardena made 22, but the rest of the batting order failed to build partnerships.
The result gave Pakistan their biggest T20I victory against Sri Lanka in terms of runs.
Pakistan captain Farhan was pleased with the team's performance and said the side was moving in the right direction.
"It's a good win and we are shaping up well," said Pakistan skipper Farhan.
"If we continue this way we will end up scoring more than 200 every time, so we will play with the same intensity."
Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis, meanwhile, pointed to the team's fielding as a major reason for the defeat.
"We have done well in terms of fielding in the last few tournaments but unfortunately we have not been up to the mark and that's why we have struggled," said Mendis.
The two teams will meet for the third and final T20I on Tuesday. Pakistan will look to complete a clean sweep, while Sri Lanka will aim to finish the series with a win.
Sadaqat smashed 96 off 51 balls, while Sahibzada Farhan scored 73 off 44 deliveries as Pakistan posted 215/3, their highest T20 total at home. Mohammad Imran then took three wickets for just 11 runs to restrict Sri Lanka to 133/7, giving Pakistan their biggest T20I win against the visitors.
Sadaqat and Farhan power Pakistan to 215
Pakistan made the most of Sri Lanka's poor fielding, with the visitors dropping three catches during the innings. Sadaqat, who was dropped on 44, and Farhan, who got reprieves on two and 11, made the opposition pay.
The pair added 88 runs for the second wicket in just 49 balls, putting Pakistan in a strong position. Farhan hit five sixes and four fours before his innings ended in the 15th over when he was caught by Dasun Shanaka.
Sadaqat continued his attack and shared another quick partnership with Hasan Nawaz, who remained unbeaten on 19. The pair added 72 runs off just 31 balls for the third wicket.
Sadaqat hit seven sixes and six fours before being dismissed off the final delivery of the innings. His seven sixes matched the record for the most sixes by a Pakistan batter in a T20 match.
Pakistan scored 70 runs in the final five overs to finish on 215/3. Their previous highest T20 total at home was 208/3 against the West Indies in Karachi five years ago.
Imran leads Pakistan's bowling attack
Sri Lanka struggled to keep up with the required scoring rate during their chase and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Medium pacer Mohammad Imran led Pakistan's bowling effort with figures of 3/11. His performance helped restrict Sri Lanka to 133/7 and seal a comfortable victory.
Maheesh Theekshana remained unbeaten on 32, while Chamindu Wickramasinghe scored 29. Kamindu Mendis contributed 23 and Sineth Jayawardena made 22, but the rest of the batting order failed to build partnerships.
The result gave Pakistan their biggest T20I victory against Sri Lanka in terms of runs.
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Farhan confident after series win
Pakistan captain Farhan was pleased with the team's performance and said the side was moving in the right direction.
"It's a good win and we are shaping up well," said Pakistan skipper Farhan.
"If we continue this way we will end up scoring more than 200 every time, so we will play with the same intensity."
Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis, meanwhile, pointed to the team's fielding as a major reason for the defeat.
"We have done well in terms of fielding in the last few tournaments but unfortunately we have not been up to the mark and that's why we have struggled," said Mendis.
The two teams will meet for the third and final T20I on Tuesday. Pakistan will look to complete a clean sweep, while Sri Lanka will aim to finish the series with a win.