Shadab makes impressive return, propels Pakistan to six-wicket win over Sri Lanka

All-rounder Shadab Khan staked his claim for a spot at next month’s T20 World Cup with 2-25 in his return from a shoulder injury for Pakistan in a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first T20 on Wednesday.

Shadab got the wickets of Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva in his first over before Sri Lanka collapsed to 128 all out in 19.2 overs after losing the toss.

Sahibzada Farhan then smacked 51 off 36 balls and Shadab made an unbeaten 18 off 12 balls as Pakistan cruised to 129-4 with 20 balls to spare.

Shadab had last played an international game in June before undergoing surgery on his right shoulder.

“Comebacks in internationals are tough because you start from zero,” said Shadab, who was named player of the match. “The surface was helping definitely, but in cricket you have to always assess the conditions. Here, fuller (balls) were better than good length.”

The three-match series continues in Dambulla on Friday and Sunday and will serve as a tuneup for the T20 World Cup. Pakistan is due to play all its World Cup games in Sri Lanka and is yet to announce its squad for the event.

Sri Lanka struggled to get momentum against Pakistan second-string fast bowlers after the Pakistan Cricket Board had allowed Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf to skip the series and play in the Big Bash League in Australia.

Leftarm fast bowler Salman Mirza (3-18) had Kamil Mishara caught at mid-on for a three-ball duck and Pathum Nissanka struggled to score run-a-ball 12 before pulling Mohammad Wasim’s (2-7) short ball and got caught at deep square leg inside the power play.

Shadab made an immediate impact in his first over when he trapped Mendis lbw of a fuller delivery and then de Silva, returning to T20 format after June 2024, got caught behind for 10 of an inside edge as Sri Lanka slipped to 38-4 in the seventh over.

Janith Liyanage (40) was the only home team batter to cross the 20-run mark, but he got a lucky escape on 4 when Farhan dropped a sitter at long-on that could have given Shadab his third wicket.

Wrist-spinner Abrar Ahmed (3-25) then sliced through the middle order before Mirza grabbed two more wickets in his return spell as Sri Lanka lost last four wickets for just one run.

Farhan and Saim Ayub (24) provided Pakistan a blazing start of 59 runs inside the power play against some wayward bowling of fast bowler Nuwan Thushara (0-31). Maheesh Theekshana (1-31) broke through in the last over of power play when he bowled Ayub of a straight delivery.

Farhan, who smashed two sixes in one over of Thushara, raised his half century off 35 balls before he holed out to mid-off soon afterwards. Wanindu Hasaranga bowled a tidy four-over spell of 1-17 and de Silva had Fakhar Zaman stumped before Shadab carried Pakistan to 1-0 lead in the series.

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka rued losing the toss on a wicket that was under covers for the last two days due to rain.

“Setting up totals aren’t easy on these surfaces that was covered for a couple of days,” he said. “No excuses, we didn’t have the batting start we wanted, losing wickets in clusters need addressing.”

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Cricket Board has appointed Vikram Rathour as their batting coach as they step up their preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will start on Feb.7.

Rathour previously served as India’s batting coach from 2019 to 2024. Under his tenure, the team performed well in ICC tournaments, including winning the T20 World Cup in 2024. After his exit from the Indian setup, Rathour joined Rajasthan Royals as batting and assistant coach.

“He has been appointed on a consultancy basis, with a primary focus on the team’s preparation for the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup 2026. A former Indian player, who represented the country in Tests and One-Day Internationals, Rathour will assume duties on January 18 and will remain with the team until March 10, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a release.

Agencies