It has been almost the ‘near-perfect’ visit to the Pearl for Pakistan. Having won a Test and an ODI series after 9 years in Sri Lanka, the visitors will now be aiming for success in the shortest format of the game.
Meanwhile, the hosts and current holders of the World T20 crown will be playing their first game since facing England at the Oval in May last year and are yet to record a win since their unforgettable night in Dhaka on the 6th of April 2014. The two teams will be facing each other in two T20s, on the 30th of July and the 1st of August at the RPS.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan ODI Series – Let’s Talk the Numbers
Since 2007
The two rivals met for the first time in a T20 game during the T20 World Cup in 2007. The group match in Johannesburg was won by Pakistan with a margin of 33 runs.
So far the two teams have played 12 T20s, with Pakistan winning 7 to Sri Lanka’s 5.
Recap of the Past Years
The two teams met twice during the 2009 T20 World Cup. In the group stage encounter at Lord’s, Sri Lanka won by 19 runs. Batting first the Lions made 150/7 while Pakistan only managed to make 131/9 in their 20 overs.
However Pakistan avenged their defeat when they beat Sri Lanka at Lord’s, in the final on the 21st of June 2009, by 8 wickets, becoming T20 World Champions for the first time in their history.
When Pakistan welcomed Sri Lanka to UAE in 2011, a solitary T20 was played with Pakistan winning by 5 wickets at Abu Dhabi.
During the Pakistan tour to Sri Lanka in 2012, two T20s were played in Hambantota with the teams finishing with a win a piece.
In 2012, Sri Lanka was granted the opportunity of hosting T20’s biggest championship and during the tournament, locked horns with Pakistan in the semifinal at RPS. Replying to Sri Lanka’s modest total of 139 runs, Pakistan obtained a commanding start, scoring 55 runs by the 10th over at the expense of only one wicket. However things took a turn with Mathews’ double strike. Nasir Jamshed was trapped LBW before Mahela Jayawardene caught Kamran Akmal for 1. Rangana Herath then rattled the stumps of Shoaib Malik for 6, leaving Pakistan at 64/4 in 11 overs. However Mohammad Hafeez began to rebuild the innings with Umar Akmal, taking Pakistan to 91, much to the despair of the packed crowd at the RPS. At 91/4, it was another turnaround as Herath’s removed Hafeez for 42 and the danger man Afridi for a duck. Umar Akmal’s resistance proved futile as Sri Lanka managed to defend their total by 16 runs, booking a place in the T20 World Cup final for the second time in 4 years.
Sri Lanka’s visit to UAE in 2013 featured two T20s that ended with a win to each team. It was also the last time these two teams met in a T20 international.
In the Lion’s Den
Sri Lanka has hosted Pakistan in 4 T20 matches since 2009, with both teams securing 2 wins each. The two teams met for the first time in Sri Lanka during the Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka in 2009. Played at RPS, the newly crowned champions once again beat the finalists, this time by a comfortable margin of 52 runs.
With the 2-match T20 series being squared at Hambantota in June 2012, the two teams last met during the world cup semifinal thriller later in October.
SLvPAK 5th ODI – Sri Lanka slaughter Pakistan by 165 runs to salvage lost pride
The RPS to host both
The iconic venue in Colombo is scheduled to host both T20 games in this series. So far the two teams have met twice at RPS with both teams winning a game each.
However the R. Premadasa International Stadium hasn’t carried the fondest of T20 memories for the Sri Lankans. They have played 7 games at the venue, winning only one and losing 6 which includes the 2012 World Cup final loss to the West Indies.
The venue hosted its first T20 game between Sri Lanka and India in February 2009 and its last in 2013 between Sri Lanka and South Africa. The highest team total at the venue stands at 205/4 made by the West Indies against Australia during the semifinal of the 2012 T20 WC while the record for the highest score by a batsman is held by Luke Wright who made an unbeaten 99 against Afghanistan in the same tournament.
The highest total by Sri Lanka at RPS in a T20 stands at 171/4 (against India in 2009) while Pakistan’s highest stands at 172/5 which was made against Sri Lanka in the same year.
Australia’s Shane Watson has made the most number of runs at the venue (249) and also holds the record for the most wickets (11). Ajantha Mendis is the highest wicket taker for Sri Lanka (9) while Kumar Sangakkara has scored 219 runs in T20s at the RPS.
It would be a fairy tale ending to the tour for Pakistan if they go on to wrap up the T20 series as well, while the reigning T20 World Champions will be playing for their pride as they strive for success in a final roll of dice while battling through a transition marked by the absence of their big game players.
