Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I LIVE Updates: Pakistan begin their home cricket season with a third T20I captain in as many years as Sahibzada Farhan leads the side against Sri Lanka in a three-match series, starting today. Opening batter Farhan led Pakistan to a silver medal at the recent Asian Games in Japan. Rawalpindi will host all three T20Is over the next five days. ( Live Scorecard )
The previous three Pakistan T20I skippers, Babar Azam , Shaheen Afridi and Salman Ali Agha, are no longer part of the team as the selectors look to prepare for the T20 World Cup in 2028.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I LIVE Score Updates: New captain Sahibzada Farhan will lead Pakistan against Sri Lanka.
No run, played towards point. Short of a length, on middle and leg. Lahiru Udara miscues his pull to long on for a single. Fullish, just outside off, Kamindu Mendis drives it to long off for one. A Powerplay of two halves, really. Sri Lanka have found some rhythm through Kamindu and Udara, but the bowling has largely been spotless from the Pakistani pace trio. Time for spin as the field spreads. Here’s Abrar Ahmed into the attack. A slightly slower one, on the back of a good length, around leg. Kamindu Mendis misses his flick and wears high up on the pad. The ball drops dead on the track and the batters gets across for a leg bye. FOUR! Pure placement from Mendis! Just a shade behind the good length, slanting away from the batter. Kamindu Mendis opens the face of the bat and steers it beautifully through cover-point for four runs. Edged and over! Once again, it’s the pace and bounce from Imran, pitching it hard on the good length, outside off. Kamindu Mendis attempts to hit it across the line, but gets nicked on the top edge and it loops over short third for four runs. Nails a yorker, on middle, Lahiru Udara squeezes it to deep square leg and gets a single. Hits the deck hard, does Imran, over off. Kamindu Mendis pats it back to the bowler. Back of a length, angling away from the left-hander. But he shouldn’t be disappointed as he bowled with good pace and got decent bounce. Just needs to bowl in good areas consistently. Mohammad Imran will wrap up the Powerplay. Expertly played by Udara! Fuller ball, on the stumps, Lahiru Udara backs away to give himself some room. He uses the pace and slices it over backward point for a boundary. Big swing and a miss! Lahiru Udara does not move his feet at all and tries to smack it over covers, but gets beaten comprehensively. Fuller than a length, curving away from the batter. Udara mistimes the drive off the inner half of the bat. It rolls down to mid on. WIDE! Too straight down leg, on a good length. Udara tries to tickle it behind but misses. Absolutely belted away! Full and speared in on middle. Lahiru Udara backs away to create room, exposes all the stumps and smashes it through the cover and mid off gap for a cracking boundary. Pushed outside off, slightly fuller, Mendis drives it through cover-point for a single. Right on the money! Hits the back of a length, and gets the ball to swing back into the batter, on top of off. Kamindu tries to punch it through cover, but the ball sneaks between the yawning bat and pad gap. Time for another debutant to roll his arm over. A loud cheer from the Rawalpindi crowd as they welcome Razaullah into the attack. He replaces Naseem Shah. One slip in place. Pitched short and moving across the batter with some bounce. Kamindu Mendis is pegged back and tries to block it down the pitch but gets a fat outside edge. The ball flies wide of the short third fielder and they take a single.
Kamindu Mendis rocks back and looks to lash it over cover, but gets beaten on the outside edge due to some extra bounce off the deck. Just 16/1 in the first three overs, followed by 29/1 in the next three. So 10 runs from Razaullah’s first over in Pakistan’s colors. Over 145 kph, full and swinging away, outside off.
