Match overview

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in Rawalpindi on 22 November 2025, completing a comfortable chase of 129 to continue their strong run of T20 form. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat but managed only 128/7, a total well below the ground's average first-innings score of 214. Pakistan's reply was authoritative: 53 runs from the powerplay with just one wicket down, and the match was effectively settled before the halfway point of the chase. Mohammad Nawaz earned the Player of the Match award. It was Pakistan's fifth consecutive T20 victory and extended Sri Lanka's losing run to five matches.

Sri Lanka's innings never quite found momentum. A reasonable start of 44/2 in the powerplay gave way to a difficult middle phase in which they lost 4 wickets for 47 runs, leaving the lower order little room to accelerate. The death overs produced 37 more runs for one wicket, but 128 was always going to be insufficient on a Rawalpindi surface where batting second sides have a 60% win rate across 79 matches.

Pakistan's pursuit was measured and efficient. They did not need to force the issue in the final overs, reaching their target with a death phase of just 9 runs needed from the last stretch. That low death-overs requirement tells the story: the game was won in the powerplay and middle overs, not in any late drama.

Venue and conditions

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has hosted 79 international T20 matches and is generally one of the more batter-friendly surfaces in Pakistan. The average first-innings score of 214 and the average second-innings score of 208 suggest the pitch plays consistently well for both sides, although the gap between those two averages is small enough that teams are rarely disadvantaged by winning the toss and fielding. Rawalpindi's toss-field rate is 58%, suggesting captains have historically leaned towards chasing.

The average powerplay score at this venue is 41 runs, so Pakistan's 53/1 in the first six overs was above expectation and gave them a platform that the rest of the innings could build on. The average death-overs total is 34 runs; Sri Lanka's 37 from that phase was fractionally above par, but it could not compensate for the middle-overs collapse that restricted them to a below-average total.

For T20 matches played here, conditions tend to assist strokeplay throughout. There is rarely significant movement in the air or off the pitch, which makes bowling side selection and death-overs planning particularly important. Pakistan's ability to contain in the closing stages, holding Sri Lanka to 7 wickets, showed disciplined bowling rather than extravagant conditions.

How to watch

Pakistan home internationals are broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Cricket. Live streams are available through Sky Go for existing subscribers, with day passes also offered via NOW TV for viewers without a full Sky subscription. Broadcast start times are typically in the early-to-mid afternoon for UK audiences given the time difference with Pakistan (IST is five hours ahead of GMT in standard time). Check the Sky Sports online schedule for precise UK kickoff times for upcoming fixtures in this series.

Recent form

Pakistan arrive in the best possible shape. Their last five T20 results read as five wins, against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka on three occasions across this current tour, and South Africa before that. The consistency across that run is notable: they have not been troubled in the powerplay or the chase in any of those fixtures. Home conditions at Rawalpindi clearly suit this squad's style of play.

Sri Lanka's situation is the opposite. Their last five T20 results are five defeats, a run that includes losses to Zimbabwe, India, and now three to Pakistan on this very tour. The middle-overs phase has been a consistent problem: losing 4 wickets for 47 runs in the second innings here follows a pattern of batting collapses that have prevented them from posting totals large enough to put opponents under pressure. Until that middle-overs fragility is addressed, Sri Lanka's prospects in the remaining fixtures in this series look difficult. Pakistan, hosting their next match in what could be another Rawalpindi outing, have every structural advantage.