Pakistan News World

A hundred from Salman Ali Agha helped Pakistan put up a formidable total against Sri Lanka in the first match of the ODI tri-series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Pakistan, however, failed to capitalise fully on their strong position, surrendering their last five wickets for only 26 runs. Reduced from 279-5 to 305 all out, the hosts struggled against the bowling of Eshan Malinga and Asitha Fernando. After being asked to bat first, Pakistan were bowled out for 305 in 49.5 overs, with Salman leading from the front and receiving valuable support from Babar Azam, debutant Saad Baig and Hasan Nawaz. The Green Shirts made a positive start as openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub looked to build momentum, finding boundaries at regular intervals and putting together a promising opening partnership. However, Saim was the first batter to depart, falling to Dilshan Madushanka in the fourth over. His dismissal ended the 23-run opening stand, with the left-hander scoring seven off eight ...

Kusal Mendis guided Sri Lanka to a convincing eight-wicket win over Pakistan, scoring an unbeaten half-century in the third and final T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Pakistan, however, won the series 2-1 after clinching victories in the first two games. Set to chase a 169-run target, the visitors comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just two wickets and 17 balls to spare, courtesy of an unbeaten partnership for the third wicket between Kamindu Mendis and captain Kusal. Sri Lanka, however, got off to a shaky start to the pursuit as Mohammad Imran Randhawa trapped right-handed opener Lahiru Udara (one) lbw on the first delivery of the second over with 15 runs on the board. Udara's dismissal paved the way for Kusal to walk out at No.3, and the captain, alongside opener Sineth Jayawardena, put Sri Lanka into a commanding position by raising a 59-run partnership for the second wicket, which came at a brisk pace. Arafat Minhas eventually broke the thre...

Sri Lanka have named fast bowler Eshan Malinga and wicketkeeper Anjala Bandara in their squad for the two-Test tour of Pakistan in November, handing both players their maiden Test call-ups while recalling left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka. Bandara replaces Niroshan Dickwella, who was recalled for the home Test series against India in August but has been omitted from the latest squad. Meanwhile, Kusal Mendis will lead Sri Lanka in his first series as Test captain after Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down from the role. Malinga, who has established himself in Sri Lanka’s limited-overs teams, has earned his maiden Test call-up after claiming 44 wickets in 19 first-class matches at an average of 31.15. The 22-year-old Bandara, meanwhile, has been rewarded for his impressive first-class record. He averages 65.85 after 31 matches, having scored seven centuries and seven half-centuries, with a highest score of an unbeaten 200. Openers Lahiru Udara and Kamil Mishara, who featured in the seco...

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 82 runs in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series on Sunday. Maaz Sadaqat struck 96 off 51 balls, including six fours and seven sixes, while captain Sahibzada Farhan scored 73 off 44 balls as Pakistan posted 215 for three in their 20 overs. Mohammad Imran then took three wickets for 11 runs in four overs to help restrict Sri Lanka to 133 for seven. Salman Mirza claimed two wickets for 28 runs, while Saim Ayub and Shadab Khan took one each. Sri Lanka, who elected to field after winning the toss, made a poor start to their chase. Lahiru Udara fell for five in the first over, caught behind off Salman Mirza, before Mohammad Imran removed Sineth Jayawardena for 22 in the final over of the powerplay. Sri Lanka reached 35 for two after six overs and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Mohammad Imran struck twice in the eighth over, dismissing captain Kusal Mend...

Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets in the first T20I, with captain Sahibzada Farhan’s 89 and Maaz Sadaqat’s half-century powering the hosts to a successful chase of 183 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. Chasing a target of 183 runs, Pakistan got off to a blistering start as openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman smashed 54 runs in the first five overs. With Pakistan at 54-1, Farhan was joined by Maaz Sadaqat after Fakhar (21 off 13 balls) was dismissed by Eshan Malinga. The pair added 92 runs for the second wicket, with both batters scoring freely. Sadaqat scored 50 off 29 balls, hitting three sixes and four fours before being trapped lbw by Maheesh Theekshana. Sri Lanka struck back with three quick wickets as Pakistan slipped from 144-1 to 156-4 in the 16th over. Hasan Nawaz and Saim Ayub failed to make an impact, falling to Dushmantha Chameera and Theekshana, respectively. Farhan, who brought up his half-century off 33 balls, went on to score 89 off 53 delive...

The 12th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played from March 18 to May 2, 2027, with all eight franchises returning to compete for the title, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Thursday. The eight-team format will return for the second successive season following a record-breaking PSL 11. The playing window was finalised after extensive consultations with key stakeholders following the PSL Governing Council meeting held in London on September 1, 2026. Owners and representatives of all eight PSL franchises attended the meeting. The last season of the league cricket marked several milestones, with eight teams competing for the first time and a first-ever player auction replacing the draft system. The final at Gaddafi Stadium attracted a record crowd of 32,461. Peshawar Zalmi were crowned champions after defeating debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets on May 3, 2026, ending a nine-year hiatus for the title. With the PSL 12 window now confirmed, the ...