Pakistan stay alive in Asia Cup with win over Sri Lanka
Pakistan kept their Asia Cup campaign alive with a hard-fought five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a Super Four clash in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
With both teams having lost their opening fixtures of the second round, defeat wasn't an option and Pakistan's bowlers rose to the occasion tying Sri Lanka down to 133-8 on a featherbed of a pitch.
Chasing what looked a modest target, Pakistan made heavy weather of it. After a brisk opening stand of 45, their innings went into free fall at 80-5.
But a cool-headed 58-run partnership off 41 balls for the sixth wicket between Mohammad Nawaz and Hussain Talat steadied the ship and saw them home with 12 deliveries in hand.
Pakistan prevail in a closely-contested game! ✌️
— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) September 23, 2025
Having lost their way briefly in the middle overs, 🇵🇰 did incredibly well to keep a calm head and chase down the target & get a W against their name. 😎#PAKvSL #DPWorldAsiaCup2025 #ACC pic.twitter.com/hWFvjlMMoc
Nawaz struck a breezy 38 off 24 balls, while Talat anchored the innings with an unbeaten 32 off 30.
Phenomenal stand between @HussainTallat12 (3️⃣2️⃣*) and @mnawaz94 (3️⃣8️⃣*) 💪
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 23, 2025
The pair adds an unbeaten 5️⃣8️⃣-run partnership for the sixth wicket 🔥#PAKvSL | #BackTheBoysInGreen | #AsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/7e9kJKCIaV
Earlier, Shaheen Shah Afridi set the tone with the new ball, nipping out Sri Lanka's in-form openers inside his first two overs.
The left-arm quick returned at the death to dismiss top-scorer Kamindu Mendis and closed with figures of three for 28 – a spell that put Pakistan on the front foot.
Fighting a lone battle ⚔️🥊
— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) September 23, 2025
Kamindu Mendis held the fort for Sri Lanka with a valiant 50, giving his side something to fight for.#PAKvSL #DPWorldAsiaCup2025 #ACC pic.twitter.com/esjqlaMxRv
Talat and Haris Rauf chipped in with two wickets apiece, while leggie Abrar Ahmed bowled with miserly precision, giving away just eight runs in his four overs and dismissing fellow legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga.
Sri Lanka, unbeaten in the first round with three wins on the trot, have hit a brick wall in the Super Four, losing to Bangladesh on Saturday and now to Pakistan.
With only India left to play, their chances of making the final are hanging by a thread.
Put in to bat, Sri Lanka slumped to 58-5 and looked set to be bundled out inside 20 overs.
Sri Lanka huff and puff to 1️⃣3️⃣3️⃣
— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) September 23, 2025
Pakistan's bowlers breathed fire up top doing the damage in the powerplay, with only Kamindu Mendis shining bright.
Will 🇵🇰 hunt down the target or will 🇱🇰 make a fight out of this?#PAKvSL #DPWorldAsiaCup2025 #ACC pic.twitter.com/rCjWERCSGi
But Kamindu Mendis dug in, compiling a fighting 50 off 44 balls with three fours and two sixes, his third half-century in T20Is.
He stitched together a 43-run stand with Chamika Karunaratne for the seventh wicket, but the former champions were still left high and dry.
PAKISTAN: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Agha (capt.), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris (wk), Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
SRI LANKA: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (capt), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
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