- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR2.2 nicked and gone! Shaheen has the last laugh, and both SL openers are now back in the shed! Hard length just outside off and this one goes with the angle. Nissanka has a wild swipe at this 141.2kph delivery and gets a healthy outside edge. Haris pouches it without any fuss to his right, and the trademark Shaheen celebration is out. Sri Lanka under early strife! 18/20.2 straight to short mid wicket, and Shaheen is on the board early! Fullish on the pads and this seems to just stop in the surface a shade. Mendis looks for that pick-up flick but cannot keep it down. Chips it straight to Talat, and Shaheen has his arms outstretched like he usually does whenever he picks up a wicket. Dream start for Shaheen and Pakistan! 1/15.2 the change in angle pays immediate dividends! Rauf leaps into the air and Perera is sent packing! Seam-up, angling in full on middle and off. A bit of extra bounce and a bit of hold in the surface. Perera wants to flick this past mid on but because he is a touch early into the stroke, he plonks it to mid on's left. Faheem tracks it, dives to his left and gobbles up the chance. Pakistan upbeat again; Sri Lanka pegged back again! 43/37.2 miscued and Talat gets the big fish! Pakistan are over the moon, and this is a huge moment! Shortish on middle and off, and this seems to again stick in the surface slightly. Asalanka, looking for that favoured short-arm-pull of his, swivels but shanks it off the top edge. The ball swirls towards deep backward square leg, where Rauf runs in and makes no mistake. Sri Lanka four down inside eight overs! 58/418.4 big lbw shout, not given! Searing yorker on middle and leg. Kamindu falls across to the off side slightly and then seems to play all around it. Seemed to be heading down leg with the angle but Salman has decided to take this upstairs. There is no bat involved, but the first replay does suggest the ball would have tailed down leg. But hang on. Hang on. Ball Tracking has a completely different perspective. It returns with the ball thundering into leg stump and Kamindu has to go. Well, that did take a lot of people by surprise, but take nothing away from Kamindu and his knock, which may just have given SL something to play with! 123/77.3 edged and gone first ball! Talat is on fire, and Sri Lanka are crumbling! Back of a length outside off. Seems like a cross-seam delivery and Shanaka, with his feet stuck to concrete, goes sparring at it. Gets the faintest of outside edge and Haris snares it, much to Talat's delight, and much to Sri Lanka's dismay. SL in a whole heap of trouble now! 58/512.1 hot knife through butter, and Abrar does the Hasaranga celebration to rub it in! Looped up nicely on a fullish length just outside off. This is a googly and Hasaranga goes swiping at it rather wildly. Only connects with fresh air and the ball squirms past his flailing blade to crash into the stumps. Hasaranga might not be best pleased with Abrar mimicking his celebration, but he has to trudge off for now! 80/619.4 smart grab by the skipper, and Rauf has another! Length ball outside off. Chameera tries to stand up tall and bang it over mid off. Shanks it terribly, though, and that brings Salman into play at mid off. He runs back, tracks the ball over his right shoulder and then holds onto the chance with minimal fuss. SL eight down! 130/8Extras7 (b 3, nb 1, w 3)TOTAL133/8 (20 Overs, RR: 6.65)Did not bat: N ThusharaFall of wickets: 1-1 (Kusal Mendis, 0.2 ov), 2-18 (Pathum Nissanka, 2.2 ov), 3-43 (Kusal Perera, 5.2 ov), 4-58 (Charith Asalanka, 7.2 ov), 5-58 (Dasun Shanaka, 7.3 ov), 6-80 (Wanindu Hasaranga, 12.1 ov), 7-123 (Kamindu Mendis, 18.4 ov), 8-130 (Dushmantha Chameera, 19.4 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ 0s 4s 6s WD NB Shaheen Shah Afridi 4 0 28 3 7 13 0 2 2 1 Faheem Ashraf 4 0 34 0 8.5 11 3 2 0 0 Haris Rauf 4 0 37 2 9.25 9 5 1 0 0 Agha Salman 1 0 5 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 Hussain Talat 3 0 18 2 6 10 2 0 1 0 Abrar Ahmed 4 0 8 1 2 16 0 0 0 0
Player of the Match
Player of the Match
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR5.3 straight to mid off, and Theekshana breaks a threatening opening stand! Zipped in very full outside off. Seems like a carrom ball and Farhan, looking to go downtown, just does not have enough leverage to get under it. Shanks it badly and Kamindu, stood right on the ring, takes it neatly in front of his face. Theekshana is pumped, but can SL capitalize on this window of opportunity? 45/15.5 oh my days - Hasaranga pulls off an absolute screamer! That is a worldie and some, and Sri Lanka are right back in this! Speared in very full, following Fakhar well outside leg. Fakhar, like Farhan, cannot get under it and slices it towards mid off. Hasaranga, for the longest while, seems to be consigned to the possibility of the ball screaming past him until...he decides to fling out his right mitt. Plucks it out of the air and picks it up inches off the turf and he wheels away in celebration. And to top it all off, he does the celebration Abrar famously did against India at the ICC Champions Trophy. Pure theatre! 46/26.4 does him all ends up, and Hasaranga does the Abrar celebration again! This is box-office! Beautifully tossed up googly that drops on a fullish length on middle stump. Ayub plays for the leg-break but he has no idea this is the wrong'un. Gets beaten comprehensively on the outside and off stump is pegged back. Hasaranga stares down the Pakistan dugout/dressing room and does the celebration, and Sri Lanka have three in quick succession! 50/38.1 Hasaranga pleads and pleads and pleads, and the umpire says yes! Googly fizzed through full on off stump. Salman plonks his front foot and then tries to play around his front pad. Looks like he may not have picked the variation out of the hand, and that leads him to miss the ball entirely. Gets pinned on the front pad, near the shin, and this seemed pretty out. Salman, though, chats to his partner and then reviews. No bat involved, and this could be curtains for the Pakistan captain. Three reds on Ball Tracking and Salman has to go, and he takes a review along with him too! 57/411.1 rips through Haris, and Chameera breaks this game open again! Hard length, pitching just outside off and jagging back in sharply. Haris has an airy waft at it and leaves a massive gap between bat and pad. The ball bursts through and thunders into the top of middle stump. Chameera is jubilant, and Pakistan in a spot of bother again! 80/5Extras7 (b 4, lb 1, w 2)TOTAL138/5 (18 Overs, RR: 7.66)Fall of wickets: 1-45 (Sahibzada Farhan, 5.3 ov), 2-46 (Fakhar Zaman, 5.5 ov), 3-50 (Saim Ayub, 6.4 ov), 4-57 (Salman Agha, 8.1 ov), 5-80 (Mohammad Haris, 11.1 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ 0s 4s 6s WD NB N Thushara 3 0 29 0 9.66 6 2 2 0 0 PVD Chameera 4 0 31 1 7.75 15 1 3 0 0 M Theekshana 4 0 24 2 6 9 2 0 0 0 PW Hasaranga 4 0 27 2 6.75 10 4 0 0 0 KIC Asalanka 2 0 11 0 5.5 4 1 0 0 0 C Karunaratne 1 0 11 0 11 1 1 0 2 0
Match Details
Series
Toss
Pakistan , elected to field first
Player Of The Match
Match number
Season
Hours of play (local time)
18.30 start, First Session 18.30-20.00, Interval 20.00-20.20, Second Session 20.20-21.50
Match days
23 September 2025 - night match (20-over match)
Umpires
TV Umpires
Reserve Umpire
Match Referee
Points
Pakistan 2, Sri Lanka 0
Match Notes
- Powerplay: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 53 runs, 3 wickets)
- Sri Lanka: 50 runs in 5.6 overs (37 balls), Extras 3
- Strategic Timeout: Sri Lanka - 70/5 in 10.0 overs (PHKD Mendis 15, PW Hasaranga 8)
- Over 14.5: Review by Pakistan (Bowling), Decision Challenged - Wicket, Umpire - Izatullah Safi, Batter - C Karunaratne (Struck down)
- Sri Lanka: 100 runs in 16.1 overs (98 balls), Extras 4
- PHKD Mendis: 50 off 43 balls (3 x 4, 2 x 6)
- Over 18.4: Review by Pakistan (Bowling), Decision Challenged - Wicket, Umpire - Izatullah Safi, Batter - PHKD Mendis (Upheld)
- Over 19.2: Review by Pakistan (Bowling), Decision Challenged - Wicket, Umpire - Masudur Rahman, Batter - C Karunaratne (Struck down)
- Innings Break: Sri Lanka - 133/8 in 20.0 overs (C Karunaratne 17, M Theekshana 0)
- Powerplay: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 48 runs, 2 wickets)
- Over 1.3: Review by Sri Lanka (Bowling), Decision Challenged - Wicket, Umpire - Masudur Rahman, Batter - Fakhar Zaman (Struck down)
- Pakistan: 50 runs in 6.3 overs (39 balls), Extras 4
- Over 8.1: Review by Pakistan (Batting), Decision Challenged - Wicket, Umpire - Izatullah Safi, Batter - Agha Salman (Struck down)
- Strategic Timeout: Pakistan - 71/4 in 10.0 overs (Hussain Talat 11, Mohammad Haris 6)
- Over 12.1: Review by Sri Lanka (Bowling), Decision Challenged - Wicket, Umpire - Izatullah Safi, Batter - Hussain Talat (Struck down)
- Pakistan: 100 runs in 14.1 overs (85 balls), Extras 7
- 6th Wicket: 50 runs in 39 balls (Hussain Talat 19, Mohammad Nawaz (3) 32, Ex 1)
Match Coverage
All Match NewsShaheen Afridi brushes off criticism as Pakistan eye Asia Cup final
Fast bowler gearing up for the likely knockout game against Bangladesh on Thursday
Abrarcadabra - the four-over spell that left Sri Lanka stupefied
His Wanindu Hasaranga celebration might stay in the memory, but what Abrar Ahmed achieved with the ball against Sri Lanka was nothing short of stupendous
Talat: Middle-order batting the hardest job in T20s
Talat scored 32 in 30 balls and took two wickets in the high-stakes game against SL
Asalanka: Sri Lanka have to 'get combinations right ahead of the World Cup'
"We have to take responsibility," Charith Asalanka says of Dasun Shanaka and himself after they fell off back-to-back deliveries at a crucial stage of the game
Afridi, Rauf limit Sri Lanka to 133 despite Kamindu Mendis' fifty
Kamindu dragged Sri Lanka's innings to respectability, as he helped his side recover from being 58 for 5






