Pakistan kick off T20 World Cup rehearsal with winning-start:Beat SL by 6 wickets to lead series 1-0; Sahibzada Farhan’s fifty, Abrar scalps 3-wickets

Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the first T20. Batting first on Wednesday in Dambulla, the home team was all out for just 128 runs. Pakistan achieved the target in 16.4 overs, losing only 4 wickets. Sahibzada Farhan scored a fifty. Meanwhile, Salman Mirza and Abrar Ahmed took 3 wickets each. Sri Lanka’s stumbling start, lost 4 wickets within 50 runs At Rangiri Stadium, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl. Sri Lanka lost Kamil Mishara’s wicket in the third over; he couldn’t even open his account. By 38 runs, the team had lost 4 wickets. Pathum Nissanka was out for 12, wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis for 14, and Dhananjaya de Silva for 10 runs. Janith Liyanage then steadied Sri Lanka. In front of him, Charith Asalanka was out for 18 runs and Wanindu Hasaranga for 18 runs. Janith Liyanage was dismissed after scoring 40 runs. After his wicket, the team lost its last 3 wickets while scoring just 1 run. The team was bowled out for 128 runs with 4 balls remaining. Also Read: ‘Bangladeshi people will be sabotaged’:BCB remain firm on T20 World Cup stance, ‘We might play against India in the future’ Mohammad Nawaz conceded the most runs For Pakistan, Salman Mirza took 3 wickets for 18 runs and Abrar Ahmed took 3 wickets for 25 runs. Meanwhile, Mohammad Wasim Jr. and leg-spinner Shadab Khan got 2 wickets each. Faheem Ashraf conceded 10 runs in 1 over and could not take any wickets. Furthermore, Mohammad Nawaz conceded 40 runs in 4 overs and also did not send any batter back to pavilion. Pakistan’s solid start to 129-run chase Facing a target of 129 runs, Pakistan got off to a quick start in the powerplay and scored a fifty. Saim Ayub was out after scoring 24 runs off 18 balls. Captain Salman Agha then scored 16 runs off 11 balls and brought the team close to 100. Sahibzada Farhan scored a fifty, but he was also out after making 51 runs. Fakhar Zaman could only score 5 runs. The team lost 4 wickets for 106 runs. Finally, wicketkeeper Usman Khan and Shadab Khan formed a partnership and led the team to victory in the 17th over. From Sri Lanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Dhananjaya de Silva took 1 wicket each. Also Read: Can RCB win 2nd title in WPL 2026?:Smriti Mandhana’s captaincy in focus as Bengaluru look to fill Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine’s gaps Pakistan leads three match T20I series 1-0 By winning the first match, Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the T20 series. The second match will be played on January 9 and the third on January 11. All matches will be held in Dambulla. This T20 series is important for both teams before the T20 World Cup begins. The World Cup will be played from February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.