Sri Lanka v Pakistan 1st T20I: Pakistan draw 1st blood- 5 talking points

Sri Lanka v Pakistan 1st T20I: Pakistan draw 1st blood- 5 talking points: It was a completely clinical performance from the Pakistanis as they mauled the listless Sri Lankan’s by 29 runs in the first T20 international. Umar Akmal proved to the world how dangerous he can be with a bat in hand as his blisteringly intense 46 took the game from the beleaguered Sri Lankan’s who were left to wonder what struck them. In the end it was a thoroughly well deserved team effort by the rejuvenated Pak side. Here are the five talking points of the Sri Lanka v Pakistan 1st T20I: 1. Umar Akmal’s fiery cameo: Umar Akmal. (Photo Source: AFP) Extremely talented? Yes. An underperformer? another yes. Umar Akmal has long been one such player who hasn’t done justice to the bulk of talent that he possesses. But today however was his day. He ripped apart the Sri Lankan bowlers and plundered 46 runs off just 24 balls with 3 delightful fours and 3 majestic sixes. He registered a strike rate of 191, which in a way sums up the amount of destruction his willow caused. His cameo was the reason why Pakistan scored 175. 2. Ahmed Shehzad’s sensible innings: Ahmed Shehzad. (Photo Source: AFP) While Umar Akmal has been showered praise upon for his fireworks, a mature and sensible innings of Shehzad also deserves a mention. His patiently, well constructed 46 laid the perfect platform for the middle order batsmen to unleash their aggressive brand of cricket. And in many ways his knock anchored the Pakistan batting innings. 3. Malinga’s uncharacteristically poor show: Lasith Malinga. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Lasith Malinga is one of the most venomous and fearful bowlers in the modern form of the game. More so in this form of the game due to his lethal yorkers that can unnerve any batsman. But today however was a terrible day for the Sri Lankan skipper. He gave away 46 runs in his spell of four overs and was taken to the cleaners more often than any other bowler. Also tells about the remarkable batting of Pakistan to have dusted down a class act like Malinga. 4. Sohail Tanvir’s impressive show: Sohail Tanvir. (Photo Source: AFP) Sohail Tanvir with his unorthodox and weird bowling action can prove to be a pain in the back even to the most accomplished of batters. He did just that today with 3 important wickets, that ensured that the Sri Lankan’s had no space to breathe whatsoever. He also registered an economy rate of 7.25 which bears witness to his ability to pick wickets as well as contain runs. 5. Kapugedara fighting a lone battle: Chamara Kapugedera. (Photo Source: AFP) CK Kapugedera made his debut in T20 international matches. Not a lot was expected of him but he played really well and made sure a lot of Pakistan fans get irked with fear if there was another twist in the tale. His 30 odd runs scored at a brisk pace however weren’t enough to take his team home in the end.