Chameera defends nine to take Sri Lanka to Tri-Series final

Kamil Mishara and Kusal Mendis' effective knocks followed by a four-wicket haul for Dushmantha Chameera helped Sri Lanka prevail by a narrow margin of 6 runs in their must-win T20I tri-series game against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Riding on Mishara's 76 off 48 and Mendis' 23-ball 40, Sri Lanka posted 184/5 before restricting Pakistan to 178/7. Dushmantha Chameera finished with 4 for 20, including an excellent final over in which he defended 9, as they booked a spot in the final against the same team.

Pathum Nissanka fell for 8 in the third over but a strong partnership between Mishara and Mendis ensued, giving Sri Lanka a great platform. Mendis led the charge with a flurry of fours and a six off Mohammad Wasim, powering Sri Lanka to 58/1 at the end of the PowerPlay. Mishara also got into the act, dispatching Mohammad Nawaz for a maximum as Sri Lanka raced to 82/1 after 8 overs. The partnership, worth 66 off 36 balls, ended when Abrar Ahmed trapped Mendis leg-before.

Kusal Perera fell cheaply but Mishara continued to find the boundaries and brought up his fifty with a six off Saim Ayub, reaching the mark in 34 deliveries. He also struck a maximum off Abrar but fell soon after, pulling one to deep midwicket. Useful runs from Janith Liyanage and Dasun Shanaka helped Sri Lanka cross the 180-run mark as they added 31 runs in the last three overs.

Pakistan openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan got their team off to a positive start in the chase, reaching 28 after three overs. But a double-wicket over from Chameera began a slide for the hosts. Chameera had Farhan caught at cover-point with a pace-off delivery before trapping Babar Azam in front, dismissing the batter for his fourth duck in nine T20I innings. Ayub was the next to go, bowled by Eshan Malinga soon after hitting a six, while Fakhar Zaman fell to Chameera in the final over of the PowerPlay, leaving Pakistan at 43/4.

While Salman Agha was taking his time to get going, Usman Khan gave the chase some impetus with his six off Hasaranga and some boundaries to follow, taking them to 70/4 at the halfway stage. Agha got going with a maximum off Malinga, and Usman struck another six off Hasaranga as they extended their partnership past 50. But Usman, going for another big hit, fell to the legspinner. Agha then took over as he upped the ante with regular boundaries and brought up his fifty with a six off Malinga, bringing the equation to 48 off 24.

Maheesh Theekshana bowled an expensive 17th over, conceding 12, including a six for Agha, while Nawaz struck a six and a four off Chameera to take 14 off the 18th over. With 22 needed off the last two overs, Nawaz began the 19th over with a six off Malinga but fell after, handing a catch to long off. Faheem Ashraf, who was put down by the bowler, hit a four to bring the equation to 10 off 6. Chameera then came along and bowled a terrific over. He conceded only three off the first four deliveries before getting Ashraf out, and bowled a dot to deliver the win for his team.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 184/5 in 20 overs (Kamil Mishara 76, Kusal Mendis 40; Abrar Ahmed 2-28) beat Pakistan 178/7 in 20 overs (Salman Agha 63, Usman Khan 33; Dushmantha Chameera 4-20) by 6 runs.