Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, 2019: 2nd T20I – Rajapaksa’s record knock, Sri Lanka’s first over Pakistan, Akmal tops duck charts and more stats

Sri Lanka stunned the No.1 ranked T20I side Pakistan yet again to seal the T20I series with one game still to be played. Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s aggressive knock powered Sri Lanka to a big total of 182/6. Rajapaksa scored 77 from only 48 balls with four fours and six sixes.

Pakistan were once against put under trouble after a top-order failure. Imad Wasim and Asif Ali tried to rescue the hosts with a 75-run stand for the 5th wicket in 7.5 overs. However, they lost their last five wickets for 20 runs and were bundled out for just 147.

All the statistical highlights from Sri Lanka’s second straight win over Pakistan in the T20I series:

A first for Sri Lanka over Pakistan:

1 – This is Sri Lanka’s maiden T20I series win over Pakistan. They played six T20I series/one-off games against Pakistan and ended up losing four of those. Two other T20I series between these two sides ended with a score of 1-1.

182/6 – Sri Lanka’s total of 182/6 in this game is the highest T20I total for a visiting side in Pakistan. World XI’s total of 177/7 in 2017 was the previous highest T20I total by any team against Pakistan in their den. This is also the 2nd highest T20I total for Sri Lanka against Pakistan behind their 211/3 in the 2013 Dubai T20I.

A year to forget for Pakistan:

3 – Pakistan featured in three T20I series in 2019 and ended up losing in all of them. This is only the 2nd time Pakistan lost three or more consecutive bilateral T20I series. Pakistan lost four series in a row between 2010 and 2011. They went four successive bilateral T20I series between 2013 and 2015 without winning one including two drawn series.

4 – Pakistan lost all the four T20I matches while chasing in 2019. This is the 2nd time that they lost four consecutive T20Is while chasing. The other such streak was between 2010 and 2011. Pakistan also went four consecutive T20I chases without winning one between 2015 and 2016 which includes a Tie match (Pakistan lost in Super over).

A record knock from Bhanuka:

77 – Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 77-run knock is the 2nd highest individual score in the T20I matches between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The highest is recorded by Kusal Perera who scored 84 in the 2013 Dubai T20I.

6 – The six sixes by Bhanuka are the most by any player in a T20I between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. No other player has hit more than four sixes in a PAK-SL T20I. In fact, Rajapaksa’s six maximums are the joint 2nd most by any Sri Lankan in a T20I inning. Kusal Perera struck seven sixes in the 2017 Indore T20I against India.

Straight lines from Lankan bowlers:

4 – Each of Pakistan’s top four batsmen was dismissed bowled in this game. This is only the 2nd instance of a team’s top four getting bowled in a T20I game. Pakistan were the bowling team when Australia’s top 4 were dismissed bowled during the last year’s Abu Dhabi T20I.

7 – Pakistan’s top seven were dismissed bowled or LBW in this match. This is the first instance of a team’s top seven getting dismissed either bowled or LBW in a T20I game. Those seven bowled/lbw dismissals are the joint-most in a T20I inning.

Akmal’s duck spree:

10 – Number of ducks for Umar Akmal in T20I cricket; the joint-most for any player in this format. Akmal equalled the record held by Tillakaratne Dilshan with ten ducks.

27 – Umar Akmal now has 27 ducks in Twenty20 cricket; the 2nd most for any player in the T20 format. Dwayne Smith leads the list with 28 ducks while Chris Gayle, with 26 ducks, moved to No.3 after Akmal’s twin ducks.