Maaz Sadaqat's 96 powers Pakistan to 82-run win and series victory over Sri Lanka

Pakistan sealed the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a match to spare after an emphatic 82-run victory at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 11 October 2026. Opener Maaz Sadaqat struck 96 from 51 balls as Pakistan made 215 for three, and Sri Lanka could only reach 133 for seven in reply.

The win gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Sadaqat falls just short

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field, a decision that backfired. Fakhar Zaman made 22 from 17 balls in an opening stand of 55 before Maheesh Theekshana removed him in the seventh over.

Captain Sahibzada Farhan and Sadaqat then added 88 for the second wicket. Farhan, who made 89 in the series opener, continued his strong run with 73 from 44 balls before Dasun Shanaka dismissed him in the 15th over.

Sadaqat kept going. His innings included seven sixes, and with Hasan Nawaz (19 not out from nine balls) adding late impetus, Pakistan passed 200 in the 19th over. Sadaqat was dismissed on the final ball of the innings, four runs short of a maiden T20I century, but he was named Player of the Match.

Imran rips through the top order

Sri Lanka needed 216 and lost Lahiru Udara, the hero of the first match, for five in the opening over to Salman Mirza. Muhammad Imran, playing only his second T20I, removed Sineth Jayawardena at the end of the powerplay and the visitors fell to 74 for six by the 12th over. Captain Kusal Mendis managed only nine.

Imran finished with three for 11 from his four overs, building on his two-wicket debut two days earlier. Salman Mirza took two wickets and Saim Ayub and Shadab Khan one each.

The only resistance came late. Chamindu Wickramasinghe made 29 from 24 balls and Theekshana an unbeaten 32 from 26, the pair adding 50 for the seventh wicket, but by then the match was beyond Sri Lanka.

A big night for Rawalpindi

Spectators turned out in large numbers, with a reported crowd of 17,535 that was described as a record attendance for the venue.

What it means

Two convincing wins under a new captain, built on contributions from young players such as Sadaqat and Imran, give Pakistan's reshaped T20I group real momentum. The third and final match was scheduled for Rawalpindi on 13 October 2026, with Pakistan aiming for a 3-0 sweep before attention turns to the ODI tri-series with England and Sri Lanka, which starts on 18 October.