Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I: Sahibzada Farhan's 89 on captaincy debut seals four-wicket win, Pakistan lead 1-0

Key takeaways

• Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by four wickets with seven balls to spare in the first T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, 9 October, to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
• Sri Lanka won the toss, batted first and posted 182-8. Opener Lahiru Udara made 91 off 55 balls; nobody else passed 23.
• Pakistan replied with 187-6 in 18.5 overs. New captain Sahibzada Farhan hit 89 off 53 (10 fours, 4 sixes) and was named player of the match. Maaz Sadaqat made a maiden T20I fifty off just 21 balls.
• Naseem Shah took 3-36 and debutant Mohammad Imran 2-21. Fellow debutant Razaullah picked up his first T20I wicket.
• The second T20I is on Sunday, 11 October, at the same ground.

Scores in brief

Result: Pakistan won by 4 wickets (7 balls remaining). Player of the match: Sahibzada Farhan. Umpires: Rashid Riaz and Nasir Hussain. Match referee: Jeff Crowe.

How the chase unfolded

Pakistan's reply started at a sprint. Farhan and Fakhar Zaman put on 54 for the first wicket inside the powerplay, and by the end of the sixth over Pakistan were 70-1, Fakhar having gone for a 13-ball 21 to Eshan Malinga. ESPNcricinfo noted the contrast with Sri Lanka's own powerplay, where it took Kamil Mishara nine balls to get off the mark and the visitors were scoring at barely a run a ball with two wickets down after four overs.

Maaz Sadaqat then took over. The left-hander swept Theekshana for four, lofted Dunith Wellalage over long-on for six and raced to his first T20I half-century off 21 balls in the 13th over, with four fours and three sixes. Farhan reached his own fifty off 33 balls and crossed 100 for Pakistan in the 10th over with a six off Theekshana. Their 92-run second-wicket stand effectively decided the game.

Theekshana finally trapped Maaz lbw for 50 off 29 at 146-2, and Sri Lanka briefly sensed an opening when Hasan Nawaz (1) was caught behind off Dushmantha Chameera and Saim Ayub (8) was bowled by Theekshana in successive overs, leaving Pakistan 156-4. Farhan settled it, hitting Nuwan Thushara for four and then six in the 18th over before holing out to Sahan Arachchige with four runs still needed. Shadab Khan fell for a duck off Malinga, but Khawaja Nafay finished it with an unbeaten 12 off 7, including a six over long-on. Mohammad Imran was 0 not out at the other end.

Sri Lanka's innings: Udara alone

Naseem Shah removed captain Kusal Mendis for 1 in the opening over and Mohammad Imran had Mishara for 6, leaving Sri Lanka in early trouble. Udara and Kamindu Mendis repaired things with a 60-run third-wicket stand before Saim Ayub had Kamindu caught by Fakhar at long-off for 23. Two balls later Shadab took a sharp catch at point off Imran to send back Arachchige for 1, and Sri Lanka were 83-4.

Udara kept going. He reached a maiden T20I fifty off 32 balls, was dropped on 77 when Abrar Ahmed misjudged a high catch, and was finally caught by Hasan Nawaz at long-on off Naseem on the last ball of the 19th over, nine short of a century. He hit 11 fours and a six. Dasun Shanaka added 18 off 15 with two sixes before Fakhar caught him off Shadab at 140-5. Sri Lanka lost three wickets in five balls at the end, with Razaullah taking Theekshana in the final over for his first international T20 wicket.

Cricinfo's report pointed out one blemish for Pakistan: 29 extras conceded, which kept Sri Lanka's total closer to par than their batting deserved.

Why it matters

This was Farhan's first home match since taking over the T20I captaincy, with Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi all left out of the squad. A match-winning 89 on debut as captain, plus a 21-ball fifty from Maaz Sadaqat and a tidy debut from Mohammad Imran, is about as good a start as the new-look side could have hoped for. The PCB's official account described the Rawalpindi crowd's response to the opener as "enthusiastic".

For Sri Lanka, who arrived in Pakistan in transition, the decision to bat first after winning the toss and a powerplay of plays-and-misses left them short. Udara's 91 was the lone bright spot.

What's next

Pakistan can seal the series on Sunday. Sri Lanka need to find support for Udara at the top and more discipline from their bowlers in the powerplay. We will report the result after the match.