T20 World Cup: Farhan, Fakhar smash fifties to anchor Pakistan's innings

Pakistan got off to a strong start against Sri Lanka, reaching 64 for no loss in the powerplay during the Super Eight encounter at Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy, on Saturday.

In-form Pakistan opener Farhan broke Virat Kohli's 12-year-old record of scoring the most runs in a single edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Farhan, who entered the high-stakes Super Eights match with 283 runs to his name in five innings, amassed the milestone when he brought up his 37th run by smashing Dasun Shanaka for a boundary on the first delivery of the sixth over.

As a result, the 29-year-old surpassed Kohli, who accumulated 319 runs in the 2014 edition of the men's T20 World Cup at an astounding average of 106.33.

The elusive list further features Pakistan's Babar Azam and Sri Lanka's legendary duo of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene.

Earlier, Sri Lanka elected to field first after winning the toss against Pakistan.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha(c), Khawaja Nafay, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara(w), Charith Asalanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka(c), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka.

Head-to-head

Pakistan and Sri Lanka have come face-to-face 24 times in T20Is, with the former dominating the head-to-head, having claimed 14 victories.

However, the head-to-head record in T20 World Cups is perfectly balanced.

In their four previous encounters in the tournament, both teams have secured two wins apiece, adding an extra layer of intrigue to tonight's high-pressure showdown.

• Matches: 24
• Pakistan: 14
• Sri Lanka: 10

Form Guide

Pakistan and Sri Lanka enter the fixture with equally disappointing momentum as both teams have just two victories in their last five T20Is and are yet to taste a triumph in the ongoing Super Eights stage.

The home side, however, are already out of the semi-final qualification race as they are at the bottom of Group 2 standings with zero points in two matches.

Pakistan, on the other hand, are placed third with one point, courtesy of their washout against New Zealand, and thus still have the chance to qualify for the knockouts.

The 2009 champions need to beat Sri Lanka by around 65 runs or chase down the target in 13 overs to surpass New Zealand in terms of net run rate.

Pakistan: L, NR, W, L, W (most recent first)

Sri Lanka: L, L, L, W, W