World XI levels the series, Amla, Perera star in a thriller
Perera mesmerized the crowded Gaddafi stadium with action packed innings, scoring a 19 balls 47 which included towering five sixes but South African Hashim Amla was also equally brilliant, who finished not out 72 off 55 balls to overhaul a 175-run target and level the three match series 1-1, leaving the series intriguingly placed with the final match on Friday.
The World XI defeated the host in a thrilling encounter, Sri Lanka’s all-rounder Perera led the charge, guiding his team to a seven-wicket win in the second Twenty20.
Perera mesmerized the crowded Gaddafi stadium with action packed innings, scoring a 19 balls 47 which included towering five sixes but South African Hashim Amla was also equally brilliant, who finished not out 72 off 55 balls to overhaul a 175-run target and level the three match series 1-1, leaving the series intriguingly placed with the final match on Friday.
Earlier, Pakistan batting first started off brightly courtesy Fakhar Zaman’s 21 off 13 but after Badree pinged him in the fifth over, the scoring rate came considerably down. Later on the innings, Shoaib Malik again picked up the mantle and came to the rescue, putting in timely big shots to prop up Pakistan and lift them to a challenging total.
Brief scores: Pakistan 174/6 in 20 overs (Babar Azam 45, Ahmed Shehzad 43; Thisara Perera 2-23) vs World XI 175/3 in 19.5 overs (Hashim Amla 72*, Thisara Perera 47*) by seven wickets.