Nawaz, Afridi Shine as Sri Lanka Stutters to 114 Against Pakistan After a Promising Start in Tri-Series Final

Sri Lanka has managed to score just 114 runs against Pakistan in the final of the T20I Tri-Series at Rawalpindi. They displayed pathetic batting performance during the middle overs that allowed Pakistan to comeback into the game. The green shirts seized the opportunity and bowled superbly to bowl out Sri Lanka on a very low total in the first innings of the match.

Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Shah Afridi remained the star bowlers for Pakistan, as they picked 3 wickets each to dismantle the batting lineup of Sri Lanka. Shaheen was especially good in today’s match, as his spells in the Powerplay and death overs gave Pakistan an advantage over Sri Lanka.

Coming out to bat first, Sri Lanka got off to a strong start in the Powerplay. Their top-order batters attacked the Pakistan bowling unit by playing positive cricket in the first six overs of the match. Though Pathum Nissanka lost his wicket early, the in-form Kamil Mishara kept on playing aggressively to challenge the Pakistan bowling plans.

Due to his aggressive batting, Sri Lanka managed to score 56 runs for the loss of just one wicket in the Powerplay. This was a seriously good start that made Sri Lanka believe that they could score big in the first innings. The Pakistan bowling attack was under pressure, but then they found the breakthrough with the dismissal of Kusal Mendis in the 11th over. It was Mohammad Nawaz who picked the wicket, sending Mendis back for just 14 runs.

Once he got out, Sri Lanka became unsettled in batting. The in-form Kamil Mishara also began to struggle to rotate the strike, which added more pressure on the visitors. He eventually fell in the 14th over after scoring 59 runs. This proved to be the only positive knock for Sri Lanka, as the rest of the batters struggled to middle the ball throughout the first innings.

Sri Lanka’s Middle Order Collapsed Quickly

The batting lineup of Sri Lanka collapsed quickly after the dismissal of Mishara. It was a disappointing performance from the middle-order batters, who looked completely clueless against Pakistan’s spin attack. They continued to lose wickets one after another without making any meaningful contributions to the scoreboard. This stalled Sri Lanka’s momentum and allowed Pakistan to take full control of the game.

The spin duo of Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed dismantled the Sri Lankan middle order with smart bowling. They extracted plenty of spin from the surface to make batting difficult for the visitors. With smart field settings and proactive bowling, Mohammad Nawaz claimed 3 wickets, whereas Abrar Ahmed made the impact with 2 wickets.

In the death overs, Shaheen Shah Afridi made the difference by taking quick wickets. Due to his rapid strikes, Sri Lanka were bowled out cheaply for just 114 runs. Pakistan are now feeling confident to chase down this target with positive batting. It is indeed a low score, but will require careful batting to successfully complete the chase in the second innings.