Pakistan put on a batting show in Rawalpindi on Sunday, hammering 215 for 3 and then bowling out Sri Lanka’s chase inside its last few overs to win the second T20I by 82 runs. The result, at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, hands the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with one game to play on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl, a decision that backfired badly. Pakistan were held to just 46 runs in the powerplay before Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat cut loose, adding 88 runs for the second wicket. Farhan made 73 off 44 balls with five sixes and four fours before holing out at deep third in the 15th over. Sadaqat, playing only his second T20I after a half-century on debut in the series opener, went even further — smashing 96 off 51 balls with seven sixes and six boundaries. He was dropped on 44 off Nuwan Thushara’s bowling, and was eventually out off the final ball of the innings attempting a slog off Eshan Malinga, finishing four runs short of what would have been his maiden international century. Fakhar Zaman chipped in with 22 off 17 before Hasan Nawaz finished unbeaten on 19 off nine deliveries. Pakistan’s 215 for 3 is now the second-highest T20I total in the country’s history, behind only the 232 for 6 made against England in 2021, according to ThePapare’s match report.
Chasing 216, Sri Lanka never got going. Mohammad Imran — also playing just his second T20I — tore through the top order, taking 3 for 11 in four overs to remove Sineth Jayawardena, Kusal Mendis and Sahan Arachchige as the tourists slipped to 49 for 4 inside eight overs, a collapse ThePapare and the Dawn both reported in near-identical detail. Salman Mirza, recalled after injury and Pakistan’s only change from the series opener, removed Lahiru Udara in the first over and later dismissed Chamindu Wickramasinghe. Shadab Khan accounted for Kamindu Mendis and Saim Ayub got the wicket of captain Dasun Shanaka. Maheesh Theekshana fought on for an unbeaten 32 off 26 balls, putting on 50 with Wickramasinghe for the seventh wicket, but Sri Lanka were always chasing the game and folded to 133 for 7.
Maaz Sadaqat was named player of the match for the second game running. Farhan, leading the side in only his first assignment as full-time T20I captain, has now sealed a series win on debut in the role, with Pakistan’s aggressive approach — this is the team’s second-highest T20I total ever — drawing praise for the batting group’s improved six-hitting. Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis, for his part, said his batters needed to take greater responsibility on a surface that was clearly suited to stroke-play.
| Match detail | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 215/3 (20 overs) | 133/7 (20 overs) |
| Top scorer | Maaz Sadaqat — 96 (51) | Maheesh Theekshana — 32* (26) |
| Best bowler | Mohammad Imran — 3/11 | Nuwan Thushara — 1/39 |
| Result | Pakistan won by 82 runs | |
| Venue | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium | |
| Series status | Pakistan lead 2-0 (3 matches); 3rd T20I on Tuesday, same venue | |
The result extends a miserable run of away form for Sri Lanka, who have now lost three successive bilateral T20I series on the road, including a 2-1 defeat in the West Indies and a 3-0 sweep in England, as the Associated Press noted. For Pakistan, the win follows a four-wicket victory in the series opener and caps a strong week under Farhan’s new captaincy, with both sides due to also feature in an ODI tri-series alongside England starting next Sunday.
Our Opinion
Two batters playing only their second T20I combining for 169 runs and a record-chasing total says more about the depth Pakistan is building than any single scoreline can; the bigger test now is whether this aggressive template survives tougher opposition and bigger occasions than a dead rubber against a touring side already 2-0 down. Sri Lanka’s third consecutive away series loss, meanwhile, is starting to look less like bad luck and more like a pattern their board will need to address before the ODI tri-series next week.
