Malik, Amir spoil Sri Lanka's Lahore return

It took Mohammad Amir 3066 days to play his first international match in Pakistan and when he finally entered the field, he made it a memorable occasion for himself, for his team and for the whole country. Lahore rejoiced and appreciated the Sri Lankan cricketers for returning to the same venue after eight long years, but it didn't turn to be a happy outing for the visitors as they succumbed on Sunday (October 29) to be clean swept again.

Dilshan Munaweera and Danushka Gunathilaka knew that adopting a similar approach to the one they took in the second game would backfire massively considering the target was a daunting 181 this time. And the procession started as early as in the second over as Amir took just two balls to get the crowd roaring. The left-arm seamer swung the new ball and made Munaweera look clueless as he inside-edged one onto his stumps.

Sadeera Samarawickrama tried to show intent by stepping down the track first ball to Amir but he succumbed in the following over to Imad Wasim. Sri Lanka were pegged further back when Gunathilaka hit one powerfully back to Mohammad Hafeez, who pouched the catch that left the visitors reeling at 21/3.

The situation appeared all too familiar as the result looked inevitable as well so early in the innings. Sri Lanka looked to change their tactics though and promoted Danushka Shanaka up the order and the allrounder made full use of this opportunity to flex his arms.

He was particularly severe against the spinners as he started off by smashing Imad for a couple of boundaries. A square drive followed suit in the final over of the powerplay and even though Mahela Udawatte struggled for timing, Shanaka's fireworks gave the Sri Lankans mild hope. After smashing Shadab Khan for a couple of sixes early on, he took on the same bowler again with some scorching shots that brought up his maiden fifty in the format. At this stage, they needed another 91 in eight overs.

For the visitors to even entertain the thought of winning this game, they needed Shanaka to bat for a few more overs and with Thisara Perera and Seekkuge Prasanna yet to bat, the hopes firmly rested on this trio to salvage some parity. But Fahim Ashraf, who picked up a hat-trick in the previous game, dashed Sri Lanka's hopes as Shanaka miscued one to be caught at midwicket. With Perera also failing to fire, only one result seemed probable as Amir came back to add to his tally and finish with a four-wicket haul.

Earlier in the evening, Pakistan were sent into bat by Sri Lanka as they looked to carry forward their momentum with the ball from the previous game. The hosts had made two changes to their playing XI as Ahmed Shehzad fetched the axe for the umpteenth time. While Umar Amin replaced him at the opening slot, Amir came in for Usman Khan after returning from an injury.

Sri Lanka did bowl well in the powerplay not allowing the openers to get off to a blistering start but Fakhar Zaman, who was in search of some runs, managed to keep the scorecard ticking. Amin was struggling for timing at the other end but with the opening stand going past fifty, the platform was set for the middle order to cash in.

Munaweera though struck at the right time for the visitors as Zaman missed a delivery that was too close to cut. Amin finally cut loose by taking on the debutant Chaturanga de Silva but just when he was looking dangerous, Perera took a well-judged catch in the deep to send the left-hander packing. Sri Lanka then kept things tight for a few overs, bowling at good lengths, making it difficult for Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik to free their arms. At one stage, it appeared as if the home sided needed a big finish to even think of going anywhere near 160.

But Malik used all his experience to unleash himself with a flurry of shots. He first smashed a six over long off in the 16th over and followed it up with two delightful fours by giving himself plenty of room. Malik eventually went on to score a 23-ball fifty as Lahore found its voice again. Even though he was eventually dismissed in the final over, Fahim Ashraf smashed two sixes to ensure Pakistan touch a daunting 180 - a total that the visitors had very little chance of scaling.

Brief scores: Pakistan 180/3 n 20 overs (Shoaib Malik 51, Umar Amin 45, Babar Azam 34*; Dilshan Munaweera 1-26) beat Sri Lanka 144/9 in 20 overs (Dasun Shanaka 54; Mohammad Amir 4-13, Fahim Ashraf 2-19) by 36 runs.