Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 35 runs to claim T20 series

LAHORE (92 News) – Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 35 runs in the second T20I match at Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium on Monday. Sri Lanka set a target of 183 runs for Pakistan to save the series. Rajitha sent Fakhar Zaman (6 runs) back to the pavilion while Pradeep took the wicket of Babar Azam (3 runs) in the third and fourth overs, respectively. he eighth over of the innings was the most disastrous for the host team as Hasaranga dimissed Ahmed Shehzad (13), Umar Akmal (0) and skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed (26) on the third, fourth and sixth ball of the over. Earlier, Bhanuka Rajapaksa smacked an aggressive maiden half-century as the visitors made 182-6 against Pakistan. The 27-year-old left-hander, playing only his second T20I, blasted 77 off 48 balls in an innings featuring six sixes and four boundaries after Sri Lanka won the toss and batted. Rajapaksa added 94 for the third wicket with Shehan Jayasuriya, who made a 28-ball 34 with four boundaries. Sri Lanka kept the same team which upset Pakistan, the world's number one T20 team, in the first match by 67 runs on Saturday. The guest team, who won the toss and opted to bat, finished with a score of 182-6 in their allotted 20 overs. Sri Lanka kept the same team which upset Pakistan, the world's number one T20 team, in the first match by 67 runs on Saturday. Earlier, islanders stunned Pakistan by 64 runs in the first T20 in Lahore on Saturday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Teams

Pakistan:

Sarfaraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Umar Akmal, Usman Shinwari and Wahab Riaz

Sri Lanka:

Dasun Shanaka (c), Minod Bhanuka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Nuwan Pradeep, Oshada Fernando, Avishka Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Shehan Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Lahiru Madushanka, Angelo Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Kasun Rajitha, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Lakshan Sandakan, and Isuru Udana 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.”