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LAHORE: Gaddafi Stadium was the venue where final of the 3-match series (3rd T20I) was played between Pakistan & Sri Lanka today amid tight security.

Arena was full chockablock with the cricket aficionados, who were starving to watch good cricket.

Pakistani and SriLankan teams did not disappoint them. SL won the toss and asked Pakistan to bat.

In the first ten overs Green Shirts scored seventy runs losing one wicket. Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik managed o pull a partnership that yielded 75 runs off 45 balls.

Finally Pakistan gave SL a target of 181 (Fakhar Zaman 31, Umar Amin 45, Shoaib Malik 51, Babar Azam not out 34).

SL chasing the target made only 144 runs losing 3 wickets in the first overs. Dasun Shanaka made 54 off 36 balls with five boundaries and three sixes. 

LAHORE: With the support of Shoaib Malik’s quick-fire 51 runs off 36 balls Pakistan claimed series whitewash. 

Readers may recall that the Pakistan’s only other 3-0 whitewash in T20I was when it had beaten West Indies in UAE last year.

Man of the Match Shoaib Malik who scored 51 off 24 balls!

Pakistan pitched almost the same team that had narrowly defeated SL in Abu Dhabi in the 2nd T20I. Ahmed Shehzad was replaced by Umar Amin while Mohammad Amir  returned to attack replacing Usman Khan.

SL too opted to use the dexterity of left-arm all rounder Chaturanga de Silva dropping batsman Ashan Priyanjan.

TEAMS: 

Pakistan:

Sarfraz Ahmad (skipper & wicket-keeper), 

Umar Amin,

Fakhar Zaman,

Babar Azam,

Shoaib Malik,

Mohammad Hafeez,

Imad Wasim,

Faheem Ashraf,

Shadab Khan,

Mohammad Amir.

Hasan Ali

Sri Lanka: 

Thisara Perera (skipper),

Sadeera Samarawickrama (wicket-keeper),

Danushka Gunathilaka,

Dilshan Munaweera,

Seekkuge Prasanna,

Chaturanga de Silva,

Dasun Shanaka,

Sachith Pathirana,

Mahela Udawatte,

Isuru Udana,

Vikum Sanjaya.

RELEVANT PIECE PUBLISHED EARLIER