Pakistan, winning the first two T20 matches, have already defeated Sri Lanka in the three-match series, but the third and final game is going to be a historic one.
Pakistan hosted the Sri Lankan national team across all formats — including the Test, ODI and T20 — in the UAE, their adopted home. The last match of the tour will be played in Lahore.
All eyes will be on the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore for this match. Sri Lanka are playing their first match in Lahore after the island nation players came under terrorist attack when they were travelling to the stadium in 2009.
Major cricketing nations have not played in the region since the attack, so the hosts have expectedly arranged for tight security for the third T20.
Though Lahore hosting such an international match is a huge thing, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be more focused on playing good cricket and ending the series on a high.
Pakistan have been the better side in both the T20 matches, beating Sri Lanka comprehensively.
The home team will be even more determined to bring their best game and entertain their fans, who have been deprived of cricket for some years now.
The Men in Green have been helped by their bowlers, who have restricted Sri Lanka to 102 and 124 runs. Hence, Pakistan batsmen have not been tested much.
There is a serious need for the Sri Lankan batsmen to score big and hope their bowlers do the job for them.
Both teams have some wonderful batsmen in their ranks, and with the pitch in Lahore expected to be batting-friendly, one can expect some runs in the third T20.
The likes of Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik will fancy their chances with the bat while Sri Lanka will need Danushka Gunathilaka, Seekkuge Prasanna and Thisara Perera to fire.
Where to watch live
The Pakistan vs Sri Lanka third T20 is scheduled for a 6 pm local time— 6:30 pm IST — start. Here is the live TV and streaming information.
India: TV: Sony Espn/HD. Live streaming: Sony Liv
Pakistan: TV: PTV, Ten Sports.
