Overview
- Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to 133/8 in Abu Dhabi and recovered from 80/5 to finish 138/5 with 12 balls to spare as Mohammad Nawaz (38*) and Hussain Talat (32*) added an unbroken 58 off 41 balls.
- Shaheen Shah Afridi led the bowling with 3/28, Haris Rauf and Hussain Talat took two wickets each, and Abrar Ahmed conceded just eight runs in four overs.
- The win moved Pakistan to second on net run rate at 0.226, behind India at 0.689, with Bangladesh at 0.121 and Sri Lanka dropping to -0.59.
- India can clinch a final spot by winning their remaining Super Four matches, while Pakistan must defeat Bangladesh and may still need favorable net run rate outcomes.
- Tensions from India’s earlier six-wicket victory over Pakistan persist after a 105-run opening stand by Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, a post-match handshake refusal highlighted by Gautam Gambhir’s plea to greet umpires, and a third-umpire decision on Fakhar Zaman that drew criticism from Pakistan figures.