Staff Reporter
Lahore
Sri Lanka stunned Pakistan by 35 runs in the second Twenty20 international in Lahore on Monday. The visitors had 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. The eighth over of the innings was the most disastrous for the host team as Hasaranga dismissed Ahmed Shehzad (13), Umar Akmal (0) and skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed (26) on the third, fourth and sixth ball of the over.
Udana took the wicket of Imad Wasim (47) in the 16th over, while Pradeep sent Wahab Riaz (7) back on the last ball of the 17th over. Udana also dismissed Shadab Khan (0) on the first ball of the 18th over while Pradeep sent Asif Ali (29) and Mohammad Hasnain (1) away in the 19th 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.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first in the second T20 against Pakistan, in Lahore. There is the threat of dew later in the evening, but it had not proved to be a major obstacle for their bowlers two nights ago, when they won the first match.
Pakistan have made two changes to their side, dropping allrounders Iftikhar Ahmed and Faheem Ashraf, replacing them with specialists Fakhar Zaman and Wahab Riaz. Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, who had made 4 and 0 respectively on Saturday, remain in the XI. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are unchanged. The weather is expected to remain good for the duration of the game.—Agen cies
