Story byAssociated PressSun, January 11, 2026 at 8:36 PM UTC·3 min readDAMBULLA, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka ended a 14-year drought by beating Pakistan in a Twenty20 game at home to draw their three-match series 1-1. The hosts won the third T20 by 14 runs on Sunday. In a rain-reduced match, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka smashed five sixes in 34 runs off nine balls that propelled Sri Lanka to a strong 160-6 in its allotted 12 overs after Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha matched his counterpart with a blistering 45 off just 12 balls before Sri Lanka fast bowlers Matheesha Pathirana (2-34) and Eshan Malinga (1-27) bowled two tidy overs at the end and restricted the visitors to 146-8. Pakistan won the first T20 by six wickets before the second game was washed out without a ball being bowled in Dambulla. The series was part of both teams’ preparations for next month’s T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan is due to play all its World Cup games in Sri Lanka. Agha had slashed the target to 101 inside the first four overs of Pakistan’s lively chase when he smacked three sixes and five fours. But Pathirana provided a crucial breakthrough when Agha holed out to short fine leg while attempting a ramp shot against the pacer. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKey wrist-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (4-35) then picked up two wickets in his first five deliveries — Saim Ayub and Usman Khan were caught in the outfield as Pakistan slipped to 67-4. Mohammad Nawaz (28) and debutant wicketkeeper-batter Khawaja Nafay (26) revived the chase with a breezy 49-run stand before Hasaranga grabbed two more wickets in his final over. With 30 needed off the final two overs, Pathirana clean bowled Nawaz with a slower delivery in the penultimate over which went for 10 runs.
