Abrar | Pakistan

Featuring for Pakistan for the first time since June last year, Shadab Khan impressed with the ball, teaming up with Abrar Ahmed as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the opening fixture of the three-match Twenty20 International series at the Rangiri Dambulla Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The all-rounder took two wickets, while Abrar hunted three victims to restrict Sri Lanka to a paltry 128-run total before Sahibzada Farhan’s half century helped Pakistan chase down the target with 20 balls to spare. Shadab gave away only 25 runs in his four overs, bagging both his wickets in his very first over and could have gone on to take a third had it not been for a dropped catch later on. Coming into bowl in the seventh over, after Mohammad Wasim and Salman Mirza’s pace — that accounted for a wicket for each — saw Sri Lanka post 35-2 in the powerplay, Shadab trapped a sweeping Kusal Mendis lbw and induced an inside edge off Dhananjaya de Silva’s bat for wicket-keeper Usman Khan to take a good catch. With Sri Lan...

SHARJAH: Fakhar Zaman cracked a robust 77 and spinner Abrar Ahmed registered career-best figures as Pakistan reached the T20I tri-series final with a 31-run win over United Arab Emirates on Thursday. Fakhar hit an aggressive 44-ball 77 not out for his 12th T20I half century while Mohammad Nawaz smashed an undefeated 27-ball 37 to revive Pakistan from 80-5 Pakistan to 171-5 in their 20 overs. Abrar then grabbed 4-9 in four economical overs to restrict UAE to 140-7 with opener Alishan Sharafu fighting a lone hand, scoring a steady 51-ball 68. Sharafu hit four sixes and as many fours. “Fakhar and Nawaz played outstandingly well,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said after the match. “Fakhar is a match-winner — he doesn’t always get the respect he deserves but he showed his (class) today.” The win, Pakistan’s third in four games, not only took Pakistan to Sunday’s final but also ensured Afghanistan who face the hosts in the last group on Friday, would advance. UAE’s power-hitters Mohammad Waseem fell for 19 and ...