Pakistan Posts T20 Series Win Over Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi

Pakistan secured an 82-run victory over Sri Lanka in the second T20 match at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, taking an unassailable lead in the three-match series after posting a record-setting total built by its top-order batters.

According to The Star, Pakistan scored 215-3, its second-highest total in T20 cricket, with Maaz Sadaqat making 96 and captain Sahibzada Farhan adding 73. Sri Lanka were restricted to 133-7 in reply, according to The National.

The result continued Pakistan's strong 2026 T20 run, with The National reporting the team had lost four of 15 completed matches during the year. Two of those defeats came against India, including the Asian Games gold medal match.

Pakistan's selectors have shifted toward players focused on the 20-over format, according to The National. The team moved away from several established names while backing specialists such as Farhan, Hasan Nawaz and Salman Mirza.

The National reported that Farhan was named captain for the Sri Lanka series after becoming the top scorer at the T20 World Cup and reaching third in the world rankings among T20 batters.

Farhan said Pakistan's batting approach has changed during the year as the team targets higher scoring rates.

"We have been a different T20 side in 2026 as our six-hitting ratio has improved and our batters are scoring at more than 150 [strike rate]. If we continue this way, we will end up scoring more than 200 every time," said Sahibzada Farhan, Pakistan captain.

According to The National, Farhan became one of five batters to hit four T20 centuries in a single year. He also became the first Pakistan batter to hit a six against India's Jasprit Bumrah.

Pakistan's bowling changes also contributed to the victory, with The National reporting left-arm fast bowler Salman Mirza took 2-28 from three overs against Sri Lanka in the second T20.

The series win followed Pakistan's 3-0 home T20 victory over Australia before the T20 World Cup, while the team also remained competitive during the tournament according to The National.