Preview: Pakistan will showcase their security capabilities to the cricketing world for the third time in eight months on Sunday when they hosts Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 International at Lahore's heavily guarded Gaddafi Stadium.
The Pakistan Super League final in March — also in Lahore — featured several overseas players. It was the first small step toward winning back the confidence of foreign teams and reviving international cricket at home after an attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009 during a test match at the same stadium in Lahore.
File image of Sarfraz Ahmed and Thisara Perera. AFP
The Pakistan Cricket Board, in collaboration with the ICC, last month organized a three-match T20 international series against a World XI, led by South Africa's Faf du Plessis, at Gaddafi Stadium.
And now Sri Lanka will round off a T20 series which Pakistan already lead 2-0 after winning in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan have only hosted Zimbabwe for a short limited-overs series two years ago since the 2009 attack.
Since then UAE has become Pakistan's "home" venue away from home as the PCB gradually tries to convince foreign teams that it's safe to play international cricket in Pakistan.
Several thousand security officials will be on duty Sunday with armed military personnel around the stadium and on the route of team buses to the stadium.
Hundreds of security cameras have also been installed to keep a close watch on the movement of spectators.
Asanka Gurusinha and Hashan Tillakaratne — two of Sri Lanka's survivors in the 2009 attack that killed eight people — will be coming to Lahore again as team manager and batting coach respectively.
But several Sri Lanka players won't be there. Regular captain Upul Tharanga, Lasith Malinga, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal and Akila Dananjaya all pulled out.
Cricket-starved fans have bought tickets in large numbers to witness Sunday's match despite the series already being won by Pakistan.
HIGHLIGHTS
Shoaib Malik gets to his fifty in style smashing a full-toss over cow corner. It has been an incredible innings.
He's on 51* off 23 balls.
Sri Lanka XI: Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Mahela Udawatte, Chaturanga de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Thisara Perera, Sachith Pathirana, Seekkuge Prasanna, Isuru Udana, Vikum Sanjaya
Chaturanga de Silva replaces Ashan Priyanjan
Pakistan XI: Umar Amin, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Fahim Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir
Umar Amin and Mohammad Amir replace Usman Khan and Ahmed Shehzad
TOSS: Thisara Perera wins the toss and Sri Lanka will bowl first
Shanaka drives nonchalantly past the bowler and the fielder mid-off for four. He hardly looked to smash that.
After 4 overs,Sri Lanka 22/3 ( Mahela Udawatte 6 , Dasun Shanaka 1)
Mohammad Hafeez into the attack and strikes in his third ball. Sri Lanka have lost their top order within the first four overs.
That's a soft dismissal. Gunathilaka tries to hit the ball a bit too hard and ends up miscuing it with a return catch to Mohammad Hafeez. He goes for 9.
Dasun Shanaka is the new batsman
After 3 overs,Sri Lanka 16/2 ( Danushka Gunathilaka 9 , Mahela Udawatte 1)
Imad Wasim continues and bowls good, tight lines to keep Samarawickrama quiet. All he can do is smash it down the throat of the fielder at deep square leg.
Samarawickrama shuffles across to play a slog sweep but hits it straight to Babar Azam at deep square leg. He goes for 4.
After 2 overs,Pakistan 13/0 ( Fakhar Zaman 7 , Umar Amin 4)
Amir, playing his first match, after the Tests, doesn't take long to find his rhythm. He's troubling the batsmen with subtle movement. Sri Lanka lose their first wicket and already find themselves on the backfoot.
Mohammad Amir swings the ball back in and disturbs the woodwork in his very second ball. Munaweera has to go back for 1.
Samarawickrama is the new batsman.
After 1 overs,Sri Lanka 10/0 ( Danushka Gunathilaka 9 , Dilshan Munaweera 1)
Imad Wasim begins proceedings for Pakistan while Gunathilaka and Munaweera open for Sri Lanka. A couple of miscues that evade the fielders in the deep and the last ball takes the outside edge for Sri Lanka's first boundary.
Shoaib Malik's late onslaught has Pakistan post an above-average total of 180. Fakhar Zaman and Umar Amin provided a decent start but when talisman came in after the fall of Amin, he blasted a 23-ball fifty in a 75-run partnership with Babar Azam. The Sri Lankans bowled one too many full-tosses and ended up paying for it.
Can the visitors end the series with a T20I victory in their kitty or will Pakistan complete a cleansweep?
Stay tuned to find out.
After 20 overs,Pakistan 180/3 ( Babar Azam 34 , Fahim Ashraf 13)
Sanjaya concedes 23 runs in the last over. It was a terrible over and he just couldn't find the blockhole and ended up bowling a series of full-tosses. And the Paksitan batsmen, Malik and Ashraf made sure to capitalise on them.
Back to back sixes for Ashraf. More full-tosses from Sanjaya and the batsman powers it over the deep cover and deep mid-wicket fence.
And Malik goes the very next ball. He can't get underneath this full-toss and miscues it straight to the fielder at deep midwicket,
Fahim Ashraf comes to the crease.
Shoaib Malik gets to his fifty in style smashing a full-toss over cow corner. It has been an incredible innings.
He's on 51* off 23 balls.
After 19 overs,Pakistan 157/2 ( Babar Azam 33 , Shoaib Malik 43)
Thisara Perera keeps it full and concedes just the one boundary off the 19th over. He finishes a decent spell of 4-0-28-0.
Malik goes deep in the crease to convert a yorker length delivery into a full toss and slices it through point for four.
After 18 overs,Pakistan 147/2 ( Babar Azam 31 , Shoaib Malik 35)
It's that man Malik again. Like he's done so many times before, he's providing the late boost Pakistan desperately needed.
13 runs off the 18th over. How much can Pakistan can get from here? 170 looks like a winning score on this pitch.
Poor fielding from Sri Lanka! Another full-toss from Shanaka but Malik hits it straight to the fielder at deep mid-wicket, who casually lets the ball go through his legs.
Shanaka bowls a wide full-toss and Shoaib Malik slashed it through the off-side for another boundary.
After 17 overs,Pakistan 134/2 ( Babar Azam 30 , Shoaib Malik 23)
Thisara Perera comes back and brings back some control after last over's mayhem. But he bowls a wide off the last ball and the extra ball costs him.
After 16 overs,Pakistan 124/2 ( Babar Azam 23 , Shoaib Malik 21)
Pakistan batsmen have not been able to time the ball well all innings but Malik takes 16 off Udana's 3rd. Experience shows as he knew exactly where and what the left-arm pacer was going to bowl.
Malik causing some late-overs mayhem. Another full delivery and the Pakistan batsman dishes out similar treatment. This time over backward point.
Udana follows it up with a full and wide delivery and Malik dismisses it over covers.
Full ball from Udana and Malik gets right underneath the delivery and smashes it over long-off.
After 15 overs,Pakistan 108/2 ( Babar Azam 22 , Shoaib Malik 6)
Thisara Perera keeps chopping and changing as Sanjaya comes back into the attack. He bowls it full and often in the blockhole regularly. Five runs off the over.
After 14 overs,Pakistan 103/2 ( Babar Azam 19 , Shoaib Malik 4)
Excellent over from Perera. Just four off it. A bit of guile and aggression.
After 13 overs,Zimbabwe 33/3 ( Hamilton Masakadza 23 , Peter Moor 4)
Isuru Udana comes into the attack and strikes right away removing Umar Amin. Udana bowls good, tight lines to keep the batsmen quiet but Azam opens the face of the bat and caresses it past point for four.
Excellent catch from the Sri Lankan captain. Amin miscues a lofted drive and Perera takes a good running catch to dismiss the opener for 45.
Shoaib Malik comes to the crease
After 11 overs,Pakistan 85/1 ( Umar Amin 42 , Babar Azam 8)
Chaturanga de Silva gets a harsh introduction to T20I cricket. But when you bowl short and so many long hops, you're bound to get that sort of treatment. 14 runs off the over.
Poor ball and Amin makes the bowler pay with a pull to mid-wicket boundary. It almost carried all the way.
First six of the innings! Chaturanga de Silva, on debut, is greeted with a loft down the ground from Umar Amin.
After 10 overs,Pakistan 71/1 ( Umar Amin 30 , Babar Azam 6)
Munaweera comes back into the attack tio finish his quota. Pakistan are still not able to up the ante. Four singles and a couple off the over.
After 9 overs,Pakistan 65/1 ( Umar Amin 28 , Babar Azam 2)
Left-arm orthodox spinner Sachith Pathirana comes into the attack. He bowls the one poor delivery which is rightfully dealt with. Otherwise, it's a pretty good first over from the debutant.
Short and sliding down leg from Pathirana and Amin sweeps ferociously for his second boundary past short fine leg.
After 8 overs,Pakistan 57/1 ( Umar Amin 22 , )
Pakistan's openers are trying their best to smash Gunathilaka out of the attack but the pitch is not helping them in their efforts. It is a tad slow. When the off-spinner offers them a juicy full-toss, they don't capitalise on that either. Zaman is dismissed in the final ball.
OUT! Munaweera bowls Zaman. But the Pakistan opener stands his ground for some odd reason. So, the umpires send it upstairs and footage shows it glances the off stump. And Zaman has to go for 31.
Babar Azam is the new batsman.
After 7 overs,Pakistan 52/0 ( Fakhar Zaman 29 , Umar Amin 19)
The captain Thisara Perera brings himself into the attack looking for a breakthrough. He doesn't succeed of course but does keep the batsmen honest.
Zaman misses a pull shot and is struck on the helmet but he gives the thumbs up to confirm he's okay.
Five runs off the over.
After 6 overs,Pakistan 47/0 ( Fakhar Zaman 28 , Umar Amin 16)
One off-spinner comes in for another. Danushka Gunathilaka replaces Munaweera. Paksitan find it hard to put the pressure on him rightaway. But Zaman comes down the pitch off the last ball to rectify that in the last ball.
The last ball of the batting powerplay and Zaman smashes it past the bowler down the ground for four.
After 5 overs,Pakistan 37/0 ( Fakhar Zaman 23 , Umar Amin 12)
Isuru Udana comes into the attack replacing Sanjaya. The third ball goes for a boundary but he keeps the Pakistan openers quiet in the next three with a few variations.
Eight runs off the over.
Short and slow down leg from Isuru Udana and Zaman pulls it past short fine leg for another four.
After 4 overs,Pakistan 29/0 ( Fakhar Zaman 16 , Umar Amin 11)
Better over for the hosts as Amin and Zaman show a bit of aggression against Munaweera's off breaks. Zaman sweeps the last ball over square leg but the fielder pulls it back in to save one. 10 runs off the over.
Umar Amin uses his feet agaisnt Munaweera and lofts the ball inside out beautifully over covers for four. Finally, something comes off the middle of the bat.
After 3 overs,Pakistan 19/0 ( Fakhar Zaman 12 , Umar Amin 5)
Sanjaya continues and pretty tidy stuff from the youngster. As the pressure builds on the Pakistan openers, Zaman clears his leg for another mistimed heave. But only 2 come off it.
After 2 overs,Pakistan 13/0 ( Fakhar Zaman 7 , Umar Amin 4)
Dilshan Munaweera to bowl his off-spin from the other end. A good tight over. Amin and Zaman are a bit tentative against him and milk three singles. But Amin looks to heave the last ball out of the ground but miscues it terribly just evading the fielder at extracover.
After 1 overs,Pakistan 8/0 ( Fakhar Zaman 5 , Umar Amin 1)
Zaman wastes no time and starts with a boundary. Sanjaya gets tidier as the over progresses. A huge appeal off the third ball but it was a bit too high. Then, he follows it up with a no ball. But Zaman doesn't make use of the free-hit. And a dot to end the over. So, hot and cold first over.
Sanjaya to Zaman. Short and wide and the left-hander throws his hands at it. A thick edge and the ball runs away to the third man boundary.
The players are out on the field. Fakhar Zaman and Umar Amin will open the batting for Pakistan. Vikum Sanjaya will take the new ball.
Here we go!
We're less than 10 minutes away from live action.
Sri Lanka have lost seven straight limited overs fixtures (five ODIs and two T20Is) against Pakistan on this tour. Can they salvage some pride tonight?
Pakistan, meanwhile, will look to end the series on a high after a disappointing Test series.
Pakistani security personnel escort a minibus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers to the Gaddafi stadium for the match.
Image courtesy: AP