ICC World T20 2016: Pakistan set up 158-run target for Sri Lanka in warm-up match

Veteran spinner Rangana Herath was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka: 4-0-24-1

Pakistan locked horns with Sri Lanka in ICC World T20 2016 warm-up match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to bat first. As Pakistan’s first game with Bengal was called off, they wanted to get the most out it and get their combinations right. Mohammad Hafeez was dropped down the order, as Sharjeel Khan opened with Ahmed Shehzad. Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews opened the bowling for his team and did not give away easy runs. Nuwan Kulasekara followed his captain’s footsteps and conceded only 8 runs off his first 2 overs. Live Scorecard: Sri Lanka need 158 runs off 20 overs

In the last ball of the batting Powerplay, Sharjeel smashed a six and four off Sachitra Senanayake’s over and showed signs of aggression. However, Senanayake sent Sharjeel back to the pavilion at the end of the batting Powerplay. Dushmantha Chameera soon dismissed on 18, putting Pakistan on the back foot. Hafeez and Sarfraz stitched a 23-run partnership for the third before Sarfraz shimmied down the track and got stumped. The onus was then on the veteran Hafeez and unpredictable Umar Akmal to put respectable total on the board. Hafeez looked in good touch as hit a six off Milinda Siriwardana and two 4s off Thisara Perera’s over. But other Sri Lankan bowlers bowled disciplined line and length and contained the onslaught, as conceded only 16 overs from over 13th to over 15th. Pakistan were 100 for 3 after 15 overs. Live cricket blog: PAK 157/5 in overs 20, Live Cricket Score, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, T20 World Cup 2016, PAK vs SL, warm-up match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata: Afridi goes for a duck

Pakistan needed someone to take the attack to the opposition and scale up the run-rate. Akmal went on a rampage and hit a maximum off the last ball of the 17 over. Hafeez reached his fifty with a boundary and plundered 17 runs off the 18th over. Akmal got out to Perere on 14 while going for a big one. Shahid Afridi soon joined joined Akmal in the dug out, as he was dismissed for a 2-ball duck. Hafeez made sure he keeps the strike in the last over as he smacked a four off Kulasekara. However, Kulasekara ensure he doesn’t let the Pakistani batsmen free their arms and conceded only four singles of the last 4 balls. Herath was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka: 4-0-24-1. Eventually, Pakistan put 157 runs on the board, with the loss of 5 wickets.

Brief scorecard:

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Mohammad Hafeez 70*, Sharjeel Khan 23; Rangana Herath 1 for 24, Sachitra Senanayake 1 for 27)