Amla, Perera power World XI to 7-wicket win over Pakistan, level series 1-1

Lahore, Sep 14: Hashim Alma struck a fluent half-century and Thisara Perera's quick fire 47 helped World XI beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the second Twenty20 international to level the three-match series at 1-1 at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday (September 14).

Match Scorecard

Amla (72 off 55 balls) and Perera's 19-ball 47 batted with aggression to guide visitors to 175-run target in 19.5 overs to set up an intriguing final match on Friday.

The visitors seemed to have lost in the run chase at one stage when their skipper Faf du Plessis was dismissed for 20. But Perera took on the offensive in the last five overs as he targetted Pakistan seamers Sohail Khan and Rumman Raees.

The tourists needed 33 runs off the last two overs, but Perera and Amla took 20 off Sohail's 19th over bringing in the match in their grip.

Pakistan had scored 174-6 in their 20 overs. Babar Azam (45), Ahmed Shehzad (43) and Shoaib Malik (39) had good starts but none of them went on to score big, as Pakistan found it tough going on a slow and low pitch.

Sri Lankan all-rounder Perera and West Indian spinner Samuel Badree claimed two wickets apiece for the World XI.

"Hash (Amla) told me to stay till the last moment because we can catch up," Perera, who was awarded man of the match, said. "It's a habit for me to be in this situation."

Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed felt his team wasn't up to the mark on the field. He rued that his team's execution wasn't good enough as the target was worth defending.

"We were a little sloppy today in the field," Ahmed said. "The score was good enough, but if the execution was better in defending, we would have pulled it off."

(With inputs from agencies)