Pakistan beat Scotland by 48 runs in first T20I

EDINBURGH - Pakistan on Tuesday defeated Scotland by 48 runs in first T20I of the two-match series.

Batting first, Pakistan set a mammoth target of 205 runs with skipper Sarfraz Ahmed scoring quick 89 on just 49 balls. Shoaib Malik also made a useful contribution of 53 runs on just 27 deliveries.

Pakistan started on an aggressive note after winning the toss and opted to bat against Scotland.

Opener Ahmed Shehzad was caught in the deep for 14 off 12 balls, as Pakistan lost the first wicket at 33. Fakhar Zaman was sent to the pavilion for 21 off 15 balls, leaving the tourists at 46-2 after 5.2 overs.

Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed and all-rounder Shoaib Malik's aggressive play helped their side score a total of 204 runs in 20 overs at the loss of four wickets.

Ahmed hit 89 not out, while Malik scored 53 off 27 deliveries.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat against Scotland in the first of two T20Is in Edinburgh.

The match is scheduled to begin at 8pm (PST) and 4pm on BST. Pakistan will be playing two T20I against Scotland who are on a high from their ODI win against England.

Pakistan are currently the number one side in the ICC T20I team rankings while Scotland are ranked 11.

Scotland beat world number one-ranked ODI team England by six runs in a thrilling match at Edinburgh on Sunday.

“We were not taking them lightly even before the England match,” said Pakistan’s captain Sarfraz Ahmed ahead of T20Is against Scotland.

The visitors made one change as Haris Sohail to replace Babar Azam who was injured during the Lord’s Test.

During their ongoing tour of the United Kingdom, Pakistan won the one-off Test against Ireland and drew the Test series (1-1) against England.

What TV channel is it on?

PTV Sports will telecast the match live in Pakistan while Sony will broadcast the games in India and throughout the Asian sub-continent.

How to watch online?

Daily Pakistan will present live streaming at dailypakistan.com.pk 

Squad for Scotland series

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Usman Shinwari and Shaheen Afridi.

Scotland: Kyle Coetzer (captain), Richie Berrington, Dylan Budge, Matt Cross, Alasdair Evans, Craig Wallace, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, Hamza Tahir, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Stuart Whittingham.

The second T20I will be played on Wednesday (tomorrow).