Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka by 4 Wickets in 1st T20I at Rawalpindi, Farhan Hits 89

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in the 1st T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday 9 October 2026. Captain Sahibzada Farhan made 89 off 53 balls as Pakistan chased 183 with seven balls to spare. Pakistan lead the three-match series 1-0, and the 2nd T20I is on Sunday 11 October at 6:00 pm.

We read the official PCB scorecard and the ball-by-ball record for the match once it ended on Friday night. All scores, figures and officials below come from those two pages. Where we added up a number ourselves, such as a partnership or the new head-to-head count, we say so.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat. Lahiru Udara's 91 took them to 182 for 8. Pakistan were cruising at 146 for 1, then lost five wickets for 34 runs before wicketkeeper Khawaja Mohammad Nafay finished it with a six.

Pakistan chased 183 in 18.5 overs to win by four wickets

Pakistan reached 187 for 6 in 18.5 overs, beating Sri Lanka's 182 for 8 by four wickets with seven balls left. It was Sahibzada Farhan's first match as captain at home, and he top-scored. The win puts Pakistan 1-0 up with two games to play.

The PCB scorecard did not name a player of the match when we checked on Friday night. Farhan's 89 was the innings that won it, but that is our view, not an official award. We will not guess the official pick.

Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat added 92 for the second wicket

Farhan hit 10 fours and 4 sixes in his 89 off 53 balls. Maaz Sadaqat made 50 off 29 with three sixes. Together they took Pakistan from 54 for 1 in the sixth over to 146 for 1 in the 14th, a stand of 92 runs by our count from the fall of wickets.

Fakhar Zaman started the chase with 21 off 13 before Eshan Malinga had him caught at 54. After that, Farhan and Maaz scored at more than 10 runs an over. Farhan hit Maheesh Theekshana for 6, 4 and 4 at the start of the 14th over, and Maaz was out lbw two balls later.

1. 13.5 overs: Maaz Sadaqat lbw to Theekshana for 50. Score 146 for 2.
2. 14.1 overs: Hasan Nawaz caught by Kusal Mendis off Dushmantha Chameera for 1. Score 147 for 3.
3. 15.1 overs: Saim Ayub bowled by Theekshana for 8. Score 156 for 4.
4. 17.5 overs: Farhan caught off Nuwan Thushara for 89, one ball after hitting a six. Score 179 for 5.
5. 18.2 overs: Shadab Khan caught off Malinga for 0. Score 180 for 6.
6. 18.5 overs: Nafay hit Malinga for six to finish on 12 not out off 7 balls.

So the wobble was real. At 146 for 1, Pakistan needed 37 off 38 balls and still lost five wickets. Theekshana took 2 for 36 and Malinga 2 for 33, and Sri Lanka will take something from that finish.

Lahiru Udara's 91 lifted Sri Lanka to 182 for 8

Opener Lahiru Udara scored 91 off 55 balls with 11 fours and a six, and nobody else passed 23. Sri Lanka were 9 for 1 after five balls and 18 for 2 in the fourth over, then rebuilt around Udara. He was out in the last ball of the 19th over.

Kamindu Mendis made 23 off 18 and Dasun Shanaka 18 off 15 with two sixes. Captain Kusal Mendis went for 1 in the first over, caught off Naseem Shah.

Pakistan gave away 29 extras, including 18 wides. That is almost a sixth of Sri Lanka's total, and it is the one number the bowling coach will not like.

Naseem Shah took 3 for 36 and debutant Muhammad Imran 2 for 21

Naseem Shah was the best of the Pakistan bowlers with 3 for 36, including Kusal Mendis, Dunith Wellalage and the big wicket of Udara. Muhammad Imran Randhawa, uncapped before this series according to the PCB, went for only 21 in his four overs and took two wickets.

The PCB said before the series that Naseem had not played a T20I since February, against the same opponents. Razaullah, the other uncapped player in the squad, also played and took 1 for 30. Abrar Ahmed, second in the ICC T20I bowling rankings, went wicketless. The Abrar Ahmed ranking slip to No. 2 came just before this series.

The 2nd T20I is on Sunday 11 October at 6 pm in Rawalpindi

The 2nd T20I is at the same ground on Sunday 11 October, with the toss at 5:30 pm and the first ball at 6:00 pm PKT, the PCB says. The 3rd is on Tuesday 13 October. PTV Sports shows the series in Pakistan, and the PCB Live app streams it.

Pakistan named this XI on Friday: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz, Saim Ayub, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Muhammad Imran, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed and Razaullah. Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Salman Mirza and Sufiyan Moqim sat out from the Pakistan T20I squad for the Sri Lanka series.

Before Friday the PCB put the T20I head-to-head at 30 matches, with 18 Pakistan wins and 12 for Sri Lanka. By our count Pakistan now lead 19 to 12. The PCB also said this was the 250th international match between the two countries.

The on-field umpires were Rashid Riaz and Nasir Hussain, with Faisal Khan Aafreedi as TV umpire, as the PCB announced on 29 September. That release named Ali Naqvi as match referee for the T20Is, but Friday's PCB scorecard lists Jeff Crowe, the referee named for the later ODI tri-series. The PCB has not explained the difference.

Our 1st T20I preview from Rawalpindi has last year's results at this ground, and the PTV Sports and PCB Live app details cover Sunday's broadcast.

Common questions

Who won the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I?

Pakistan won by four wickets. They made 187 for 6 in 18.5 overs after Sri Lanka scored 182 for 8 at Rawalpindi on 9 October 2026.

Who was the top scorer for Pakistan?

Captain Sahibzada Farhan, with 89 off 53 balls, including 10 fours and 4 sixes. Maaz Sadaqat made 50 off 29.

Who was player of the match in the 1st T20I?

The PCB scorecard did not name one when we checked on Friday night. We have not guessed it.

What is the series score?

Pakistan lead 1-0 in the three-match T20I series. Two games are left, on 11 and 13 October.

When is the 2nd T20I between Pakistan and Sri Lanka?

Sunday 11 October 2026 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The toss is at 5:30 pm and play starts at 6:00 pm PKT.

Who took the most wickets for Pakistan?

Naseem Shah, with 3 for 36 in four overs. Debutant Muhammad Imran took 2 for 21.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 9 October 2026, about 10:10 pm PKT. Scores, bowling figures, fall of wickets, playing XIs, toss and officials are from the PCB's official scorecard and ball-by-ball page for the 1st T20I. Start times, the broadcast, the head-to-head before this match, the uncapped players and the 250th match figure are from the PCB release of 8 October 2026. The umpires and the referee named for the T20Is are from the PCB release of 29 September 2026. The 92-run partnership and the 19 to 12 head-to-head are our own sums.