Spinner Mohammad Nawaz set up the match for Pakistan before opener Sahibzada Farhan struck to the delight of a packed crowd at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
With Nawaz (3-16) weaving his magic with the ball, including two wickets in two balls, in the tri-nation Twenty20 clash, Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to 128-7 before reaching their target with 4.3 overs to spare in their tri-nation Twenty20 series clash on Saturday.
Sahibzada led the batting effort with his sixth T20 half-century, hitting five sixes and six fours in an explosive 45-ball 80, as Pakistan recorded a six-wicket win that made it two for two for the hosts, who beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in the series opener.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are winless in two matches with defeat following a humiliation at the hands of Zimbabwe on Thursday.
But it all looked very different at the start when captain Dasun Shunaka won the toss and elected to bat with openers Kamil Mishara and Pathum Nissanka breaking into the Pakistan bowling and the latter cutting Salman Mirza for four off the first ball of their innings.
Mishara then removed Mohammad Waseem Jr, in place of the injured Shaheen Shah Afridi, for six and then smashed Salman for four and six consecutive deliveries in the third over.
Mishara then attacked Faheem Ashraf and got a top edge that ran for four, but his enterprising 22 off 12 ended on the next ball when the change of pace undid him and found Fakhar Zaman at mid-wicket.
One-drop Kusal Mendis did not last long as he was run out in an attempt to run two quicks and Sri Lanka finished the powerplay at 44-2 after incoming Kusal Perera put Faheem away beyond mid-on for four.
Spinner Abrar bowled a costly first over, giving away 11, four of them open, and Perera raised Sri Lanka’s 50 with his second four. But Abrar hit back in his second over, with Nissanka trapped at long-off for a slow 17 off 23 balls as Sri Lanka trudged to 65-3 midway through their innings.
Perera, who scored 25 off 19, welcomed Saim Ayub into the attack with a six over deep square leg, but Nawaz’s flurry of double wickets left Sri Lanka reeling.
First, Perera was cleaned up with a ball that was pitched outside but turned just enough to find a path between bat and pad and hit the stump before Shanaka was sent packing in a similar fashion.
From 78-3, Sri Lanka fell to 86-6 when Nawaz trapped Kamindu Mendis thanks to a magnificent display of athleticism from Waseem in the deep.
A first boundary in six overs came when Janith Liyanage, who scored a brave 41 not out, lifted Abrar back over her head for six in the first ball of the 17th over and when Sri Lanka crossed 100, Wanindu Hasaranga took extra cover for four over two balls later.
A top cut from Waseem gave Liyanage his first four and he followed it up with another from Salman in the penultimate over before Hasaranga (11) holed out to the deep.
Liyanage, however, could not give Sri Lanka the lift they were looking for in the last over with just seven.
Pakistan had great success in the chase, Saim (20) got the first boundary when he sent a full toss from Eshan Malinga and the left-hander finished the second over with two fours for offside.
Sahibzada got to work, lifting Hasaranga to mid-wicket for four and then hitting Dushmantha Chameera for four and six, over square leg.
Saim clipped Shanaka for four to add to his 1000 runs in T20Is but was stumped two balls later.
Sahibzada, however, was unfazed by the loss of his opening partner; defeating Vijayakanth Viyaskanth for four as Pakistan finished the powerplay at 53-1.
A glorious cover from Sahibzada off Malinga ended a 24-ball boundary drought and Pakistan were well placed after finishing the first 10 overs at 68-1.
Sahibzada then hit Viyaskanth for a four and a six, both at square leg area, off consecutive balls before the right-hander brought up his half-century off 33 balls.
At the other end, Babar Azam (16) got his first boundary in the 17th ball he faced when he took Shanaka for six.
Sahibzada, however, had no difficulty in landing the big hits – smoking two sixes off Hasaranga in the 13th over and following it up with another down the ground in the next off Chameera, who hit back by cleaning up Babar and trapping skipper Salman Ali Agha lbw on consecutive balls.
But with Sahibzada in the box, Pakistan had no nerves in the final minutes and the right-hander beat Malinga for four to seal a comfortable victory for his team.
