Pakistan face confident Sri Lanka in second T20I match today

LAHORE – After registering their first win of the tour, Sri Lanka will be quietly confident when the two teams meet again in the second of the three-match T20I series at Lahore's Gaddafi stadium on Monday (today). Danushka Gunathalika scored a well-crafted 57 to guide Sri Lanka to 165/5 in 20 overs, before the bowlers put on a complete performance to bundle out Sri Lanka for 101 in the 18th over to register an emphatic 64-run win. They will now look to carry the same intensity going forward to seal the series in the second game. Pakistan did manage to halt Sri Lanka's progress in the final overs, thanks to a hat-trick from 19-year-old Mohammad Hansnain, but it was their batting effort that cost them the game. Veterans Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, each making their international comebacks, failed to leave a mark, with the latter registering a first-ball duck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=Hi-0eutYkEA The hosts will need a strong performance from their experienced top four, led by the dynamic Babar Azam, the top ranked batsman in MRF Tyres ICC T20I rankings, to stage a comeback and set up the final game as a series decider on Wednesday, 9 October. Remember the last time: Powered by Danushka Gunathalika and nurtured by Avishka Fernando and Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Sri lanka raced to 135/2 in the 16th over after being put in to bat by the hosts. Mohammad Hansnain's hat-trick restricted the visitors to 165/7 to revive hopes for Pakistan, but the home team never really recovered after being reduced to 13/2 in the second over of the chase. Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana and Wanindu Hasaranga shared eight wickets between them as Sri Lanka wrapped up a comfortable 64-run win. What they said: Sarfaraz Ahmed, Pakistan captain: "In T20s we can't take any team lightly. Credit to them, they kept it tight with the ball and in the field in the middle overs. We didn't have a good day with the ball, but at one stage it looked like they would get to 170-180 and Hasnain brought us back well. God willing, we'll do well in the next game." Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka captain: "It's a great achievement without our top guns to beat them here. Our openers did a tremendous job for us. We had belief that once all the boys perform we'll win games." –ICC