The 22-year-old Sana, the youngest skipper at the tournament, led her side in accomplished fashion with both bat and ball, top-scoring with 30 off 20 balls and then picking 2-10 in 3.5 overs as Pakistan beat their sub-continent rivals by 31 runs on Thursday.
Pakistan were bowled out for 116 in 20 overs, but managed to defend the total by restricting the Sri Lankans to 9-85.
Sana speaking to former Australia star Mel Jones on the eve of the match. (AP PHOTO)
Earlier at the same Sharjah venue, tournament hosts Bangladesh had beaten Scotland by 16 runs to launch the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Opting to bat against the Asian champions, Pakistan made a decent start with the bat. Four of their five top-order batters got into double figures with Nida Dhar (23) leading the way.
Opener Muneeba Ali (11) clocked the first six of the tournament despite the surface retaining its sluggish nature from the earlier game.
Dar put on 25 runs for the fourth wicket with Omaima Sohail, who scored 18. For Sri Lanka, skipper and off-break bowler Chamari Athapaththu picked 3-18 in four overs.
Her spell set back Pakistan's middle order, before Sana hit three fours and a six off her in a 20-ball flourish that pushed the score past 100.
Pakistan were dealt a blow early in the chase, with medium pacer Diana Beg walking off with a suspected calf injury after only one ball.
Sana then came out to finish the over and struck big, dismissing Sri Lanka's star, Chamari Athapaththu, for six.
Omaima Sohail then stepped up, the medium pacer picking up two wickets in successive overs to rock the Sri Lankan chase. Four of their top five failed to reach double digits.
Opener Vishmi Gunaratne kept the scorecard ticking over, scoring 20 off 34 balls and Nilakshi de Silva scored 22 off 25 balls to balance the middle, but a lack of key partnerships didn't allow Sri Lanka to settle into the chase.
Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal picked up 3-17 in four overs, while Nashra Sandhu took 2-15, as Pakistan registered a confidence-boosting win ahead of the marquee clash against India on Sunday.
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