Wisden
10th match, Mirpur

Pakistan v Sri Lanka

At Mirpur, March 4, 2016 (floodlit). Pakistan won by six wickets. Sri Lanka 150-4 (20 overs) (L. D. Chandimal 58, T. M. Dilshan 75*); ‡Pakistan 151-4 (19.2 overs) (Sharjeel Khan 31, Sarfraz Ahmed 38, Umar Akmal 48). MoM: Umar Akmal. T20I debut: Iftikhar Ahmed (Pakistan). With neither side able to progress, there was little at stake bar confidence ahead of the World T20. Sri Lanka enjoyed a superb start, with openers Chandimal and Dilshan putting on 110 in 14 overs. Dilshan unfurled some trademark shots, including a reverse-Dilscoop, but was lucky to have been given three lives by Pakistan fielders; for the third time, he batted through all 20 overs. He finished on 75 - exactly half the Sri Lankan total - though none of the later batsmen could take advantage of an ideal platform. Pakistan lost an early wicket when Mohammad Hafeez popped a catch back to Shehan Jayasuriya in the fourth over. But Sharjeel Khan cracked five fours and a six in his rapid 31, and Sarfraz Ahmed and Umar Akmal took them to the brink of victory. However, it did not prevent the formation of a committee to examine Pakistan's selection process.

© John Wisden & Co.