(ESPNCRICINFO) – SAHIBZADA Farhan celebrated his ascension to the captaincy in grand style, smashing a 53-ball 89 that blazed his side to a comprehensive win in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. After Sri Lanka won the toss in Rawalpindi and somewhat curiously opted to set a target, the 182 they put up was made to look inadequate by a bellicose Pakistan’s showing up top that put up 70 in the powerplay and scarcely slowed down after. Maaz Sadaqat, who needed just 28 balls to bring up his half-century, put up a 92-run stand with Farhan after Fakhar Zaman’s cameo up top, flaying a lacklustre bowling attack.
Pakistan’s efforts with the ball were altogether more impressive, if sullied by bursts of untidiness that saw a whopping 29 extras conceded. But they reined Sri Lanka in from time to time, stifling their momentum and keeping the score within chasing range. Mohammad Imran’s 2-21 on debut was the pick of the bowling efforts, and while Lahiru Udara kept Sri Lanka afloat almost single-handedly with 91 off 55, the support he needed from the other end never quite came.
A tale of two Powerplays
When Sri Lanka batted after winning the toss, it took Kamil Mishara nine deliveries to get off the mark. By the end of the fourth over, Sri Lanka was scoring at a run-a-ball, and had lost two wickets. Pakistan, by contrast, took just 2.2 overs to match that score; by the end of the sixth, they had powered through at dazzling speed thanks to Farhan and Zaman’s onslaught.
Sri Lanka took far too long to begin taking advantage of the powerplay. They struggled to find their timing, the powerplay littered with multiple plays and misses, and extravagant, low-percentage shots that bore no fruit. While they did launch a bit of a recovery in the final two overs, the slow start would end up proving costly as Sri Lanka left runs on the table.
Imran’s bright start
To say Mohammad Imran wasn’t the most exciting debutant from Pakistan this game would be stating the obvious. That title belonged to Razaullah – the fast-bowling, six-hitting, sharp-jawed Edgbaston slayer Razaullah – who appears to have parlayed his stunning Test debut into white-ball call-ups. Imran, who also made his Test debut in that game and ended up being a footnote, instead found his feet in T20I cricket in Rawalpindi today.
Opening the bowling alongside Naseem Shah, he was the more effective bowler, utilising sideways movement that more than made up for a lack of pace. He conceded just the one run in his opening over and 19 in three powerplay overs. As Sri Lanka found their feet at the halfway stage of the innings, Farhan turned back to him and Imran did not disappoint his captain. He struck with his first delivery upon return and allowed just two in the over, halting Sri Lanka’s momentum once more and capping a stellar debut.
