Pakistan kicked off their T20I series against Sri Lanka with a commanding four-wicket victory at Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium on Friday night, powered by explosive batting from debutant skipper Sahibzada Farhan and rising star Maaz Sadaqat.
Chasing a challenging 183-run target, Pakistan reached home with seven balls to spare, thanks largely to a match-defining 92-run partnership between Farhan and Maaz that turned the contest decisively in the hosts’ favour.
Maaz, the 23-year-old left-hander from Peshawar, announced himself on the T20I stage with a blistering maiden fifty, smashing 50 runs off just 29 deliveries. His innings featured three towering sixes and four boundaries, immediately putting Sri Lanka’s bowlers under sustained pressure.
The young batsman’s aggression was on full display when he took apart bowler Eshan Malinga in a single over, launching two sixes and a boundary to collect 16 runs and shift momentum firmly toward Pakistan. Coming to the crease after Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal for 21, Maaz wasted no time establishing his intent.
Speaking after the match, Maaz credited Pakistan’s coaching staff for empowering him to play his natural attacking game. “The way our coaches have told us and the way their mindset is, we back that and we are reaping success,” he explained. “I don’t think about what people would think and say. I back my natural game and the management has given me the green signal to play my natural strokes.”
Captain Farhan led from the front in his first match as skipper, crafting a masterful 89 off 54 balls that included ten boundaries and four sixes. His composed yet aggressive knock anchored Pakistan’s chase, keeping the required run rate manageable even as wickets fell around him. Farhan fell agonizingly short of a century, caught in the deep with victory within touching distance.
The opening partnership between Fakhar and Farhan had given Pakistan a flying start, racing to fifty within five overs before Fakhar departed after a quickfire 21 off 13 balls.
Khawaja Nafay sealed the victory with a six in the 19th over, finishing unbeaten on 12 off seven deliveries.
Earlier, Sri Lanka posted a competitive 182-8 after choosing to bat first. Opener Lahiru Udara played a lone-hand innings of 91 off 55 balls, striking eleven boundaries and a six to rescue his side from early trouble.
Pakistan’s bowlers had reduced Sri Lanka to 18-2 within four overs, with debutant Mohammad Imran Randhawa and pace spearhead Naseem Shah making early breakthroughs. Udara steadied the innings alongside Kamindu Mendis, who contributed 23, before Dasun Shanaka’s cameo of 18 helped push the total beyond 180.
Naseem finished as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker with figures of 3-36, while Randhawa impressed on debut with 2-21. Shadab Khan and Saim Ayub chipped in with one wicket each.
The victory gives Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the second T20I scheduled for Sunday at the same venue. For Pakistan cricket, the emergence of players like Maaz represents a promising development in building depth and firepower in the batting order.
Maaz himself expressed confidence about maintaining his aggressive approach. “It was my first fifty and I am very happy,” he said. “The way I have been playing, InshaAllah in the next match too I will carry that.”
