Asia Cup T20 Match 10 Review: Pakistan pick up consolation win

Pakistan brought a hint of a smile back on the faces of the fans following a 6-wicket win over Sri Lanka. The fixture also saw the batting of both sides click for the first time in the tournament from both sides. Pakistan finished in the 3rd place on the table behind India and Bangladesh while the Lankans are a spot below the Pakistanis.

Dinesh Chandimal was handed the reigns of the Sri Lankan side following a late injury to stand-in skipper Angelo Mathews. Niroshan Dickwella was handed the keeping gloves as Chandimal assumed his captaincy duties. Shahid Afridi however, won the toss and invited the Lankans to have a bat first. Little did the Pakistanis know that Chandimal and Tillakaratne Dilshan had indeed found their feet.

Dilshan surprised one and all when he began playing Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Irfan with confidence he had failed to show in some time. He cut, pulled, hooked and drove the Pakistan bowling attack en route to an impressive and unbeaten 75. Chandimal supported his more experienced partner extremely well as he smashed a valuable 58. The opening stand for Sri Lanka reached 110 in just 14 overs. The batsmen who followed failed to make an impact as the Lankans were restricted to a par total.

Mohammad Amir, who had been lauded by one and all in the week gone by ironically failed to have a say in the proceedings as he conceded almost 7 runs an over without picking up a wicket. Mohammad Irfan however, was the pick of the bowlers as he finished up with figures of 2/18. The Sri Lankan innings closed at 150/4 in their 20 overs.

Pakistan batting began on a positive note for the first time in the entire tournament. Though Mohammad Hafeez fell soon when he clipped the ball back to Shehan Jayasuria. Sharjeel Khan began an impressive onslaught on the depleted Sri Lankan bowling attack when he effortlessly hoisted them into the stands. He too was dismissed soon after by the impressive Tillakaratne Dilshan as he attempted one shot too many.

The match hung on the edge of the knife when Umar Akmal and Sarfaraz Ahmed came together at 58/2. While Sarfaraz slammed the boundaries at will, Akmal seemed quite happy to play second fiddle. However, when Sarfaraz was dismissed for 38, Akmal launched a vicious attack on the Sri Lanka bowling. He smashed 4 boundaries and 2 sixes on his way to 48. A clam headed Shoaib Malik ensured that Pakistan claimed the win and fetched some momentum ahead of their World T20 campaign.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka – 150-4 in 20 overs (Dilshan 75*; Irfan 2/18)

Pakistan – 151-4 in 19.2 overs (Akmal 48; Dilshan 1/2)

Man of the match: Umar Akmal

Here is how Twitter reacted to the match – Twitter Reactions: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to take back some pride