Kamil Mishara’s scintillating 76 off 48 balls — studded with six fours and three sixes — formed the backbone of Sri Lanka’s imposing 184 for 5 in the first innings of the Twenty20 International tri-series match against Pakistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday night.
Put in to bat by Pakistan, Sri Lanka lost Pathum Nissanka early to a beauty from Salman Mirza, but Kusal Mendis (40 off 23) and the 23-year-old Mishara added a brisk 66 for the second wicket to wrest the initiative.
Even after Mendis fell lbw to a straighter one from leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed, Mishara continued to dominate, reaching his fifty in style with an inside-out six off part-timer Saim Ayub.
Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs on a batting-friendly surface. Mohammad Wasim and Faheem Ashraf proved expensive, while Abrar (2-28) was the pick of the attack with his clever variations.
A late flourish from Dasun Shanaka (17 off 10) and a run-out off the final ball — Shanaka stranded after a mix-up with Janith Liyanage (24 not out) — pushed Sri Lanka past 180, a total that looked unlikely during a brief mid-innings wobble.
Sri Lanka raced to 58 without loss in the six-over powerplay, with Mendis particularly severe on anything short. The wicket of Nissanka — bowled by a clever slower cutter from Salman — briefly applied the brakes, but Mendis and Mishara ensured the scoring rate never dipped below nine an over.
Abrar provided Pakistan their second breakthrough when he trapped Mendis in front with one that skidded straight, ending a dazzling knock that contained six fours and a six.
Kusal Perera’s struggle continued as he holed out to backward point off Saim for a labored six, leaving Sri Lanka 96 for 3 in the 11th over.
Mishara, however, refused to allow Pakistan any breathing space. He switch-hit Abrar for six, lofted Nawaz over long-on and punished anything short or wide with disdain.
His dismissal in the 17th over — skying a slog-sweep to long-on off Abrar — finally gave Pakistan some relief, but by then the damage was done.
Liyanage and Shanaka added 31 in quick time for the fifth wicket. Shanaka’s cameo included two towering sixes and two crunching fours, though his innings ended in unfortunate fashion when a desperate second run off the last ball resulted in a run-out, Babar Azam’s direct hit from midwicket finding him well short.
For Pakistan, the bowling lacked penetration on a night when the dew factor is expected to play a significant role in the chase.
Abrar’s spell stood out, but the pacers leaked runs at over nine an over, with Wasim (0-39) and Faheem (0-30) particularly costly.
