Pakistan went down swinging and fighting in the rain reduced 3rd T20I in Dambulla as the hosts Sri Lanka bounced back in style to level the series 1-1 with the second match totally washed out due to rain. Pakistan had their moments and chances in this match and pushed Sri Lanka to the limit but it was not to be as they went down fighting to the Lankan Lions. There were a few areas where they were found wanting in this 12-over game and we will try and enlist three reasons for their loss in this match.
Inability to contain Dasun Shanaka in particular costs Pakistan
Sri Lanka came out all guns blazing after being inserted into bat first in this 12-over contest. Pathum Nissanka fell for a silver duck but all the other Sri Lankan batters meant business. Kamil Mishara made 20 off 8 balls while Kusal Mendis made 30 off 16 balls. Dhananjaya de Silva made 22 off 15 balls while Charith Asalanka made 21 off 13 balls and Janith Liyanage made 22 off 8 balls. But the killer blow and difference maker was captain Dasun Shanaka who made 34 off just 9 balls with 5 sixes to his name.
Dasun Shanaka was the game-changer as his innings propelled the score to 160 or else Sri Lanka would have had to settle for 140-150 and we saw Pakistan getting to 146 batting second in the chase. Shanaka was in the zone as Pakistan also made things easier for him by bowling length balls which he was putting away with ease. Wasim Jnr was taken to the cleaners by Sri Lanka and Shanaka enjoyed himself out there. Pakistan bowled horrendously and paid the price in the end.
Pakistan needs to be more incisive in their bowling to every batter but more so for Shanaka. They will learn from this experience and get better as they will be playing all their matches on Sri Lankan soil. So, matches like these will help Pakistan identify areas where they need to work and here they have to be more incisive and prepared to take on these batters in a more consistent manner.
Losing 4 wickets in the middle to Wanindu Hasaranga puts Pakistan on the back foot
Pakistan had a chase on for the ages as they needed 161 runs to win off a mere 12 overs. Credit to them for not throwing the towel and showed the fight that was required off them. Chasing this target, they lost their openers cheaply. Salman Ali Agha the captain played a blinder of 45 off 12 balls. Mohammad Nawaz scored 28 off 15 balls while Khawaja Nafay scored 26 off 15 balls. But the rest of the batting wilted under pressure and it was that man Hasaranga doing the damage.
Pakistan were clueless playing the leg spinner Hasaranga. He just spun a web in the middle phase and got wickets at regular intervals. He dismissed Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Khawaja Nafay and even Shadab Khan towards the end to break the back of the chase. His spell of 4/35 turned out to be the game-changer while Matheesha Pathirana supported him well with a couple of wickets to his name as well. Hasaranga was unstoppable and Pakistan even in T20Is continue to struggle against the leg spinners.
Looking ahead, should Pakistan and Sri Lanka meet in the World Cup, Pakistan needs to have better planning to tackle key players of Sri Lanka and must tackle them well also in order to beat them and perform better. They did well in this game as well but found themselves a little short in the end. These are little areas that need a little fine-tuning which will help Pakistan perform even better.
Both openers failing in the chase put immense pressure on Pakistan
Chasing a mammoth target of 161 for the win in 12 overs, it was important for Pakistan to start well and they needed a perfect chase. A perfect chase meaning the openers give the team a quick start and lay the platform for the bigger players to shine in the middle. Farhan went early for 9 off 7 balls while Ayub was a spectator at the other end when Agha cut loose. Agha came and went for 45 off 12 balls while Ayub fell next for 6 off 5 balls as he hardly got the strike when Ayub was batting with him.
But with both openers failing with the bat and getting out for single digit scores, it put a lot of pressure on the Pakistan middle order to perform and they tried their best through Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz and Khawaja Nafay, but the rest wilted under the pressure of a huge required run rate. It was important for one of the openers if not both to lay the foundation for the big chase but both couldn’t with one going early and the other just not getting strike and remaining a mute spectator.
Looking ahead, if Pakistan are chasing a big score with a huge required run rate, they will need their openers to lay a good foundation from which they can drive home the advantage and give a better shout to chase these down. Here, they were playing catch-up from the start and eventually the total was a bridge too far for the Pakistan cricket team. But lots of positives as well with the series ending 1-1 and one game belonged to the rain gods and they walked away with the player of the match.
So, with this, the Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka 3-match T20I series came to an end ending in a stalemate. Sri Lanka next are set to host England in 3 ODIS and 3 T20IS from 22nd January while Pakistan according to sources will play a 3-match T20I series against Australia. The details of it are awaited though and we must wait for official confirmation of it.
Also Read: SL vs PAK: 3 Reasons For Sri Lanka’s Humiliating Loss In 1st T20I