Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the final of their one-day international tri-series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, completing a chase of 326 with three balls to spare. Fakhar Zaman led the pursuit with 127 from 99 deliveries, and Shaheen Afridi sealed the result by hitting the winning runs over the boundary. The Guardian reports that the match was settled in the penultimate over in front of a full house.
Why it matters
The result gave Pakistan a trophy on home soil in a short tournament that carried more weight than a routine bilateral series. For Sri Lanka, the defeat came despite a first-innings total that had seemed likely to be enough on a flat pitch. According to The Guardian, Sri Lanka were setting a target for the first time in the competition, and their captain, Kusal Mendis, said afterwards that his side needed roughly 30 more runs.
The final also served as a stage for less established players on both sides. Two young Pakistan batters held their nerve in the closing stretch, while a Sri Lankan left-hander converted long-awaited white-ball form into a maiden one-day century.
Kamindu Mendis turns promise into a first ODI hundred
Kamindu Mendis anchored Sri Lanka's innings with 131, his first century in one-day international cricket, seven years after his debut in the format. The Guardian notes that the knock more than doubled his previous best score. He had built an extraordinary Test record early in his career, with five hundreds in his first eight matches, but had been waiting for a comparable innings in white-ball cricket.
He received support from teammates in strong form. Avishka Fernando helped put on 87 for the first wicket, and Pavan Rathnayake combined with Kamindu for a stand of 146 inside 20 overs. Rathnayake's half-century continued an outstanding fortnight: The Guardian reports he has scored 427 runs in the tri-series at an average of 106.75, including two centuries against England.
Sri Lanka reached 255 after 41 overs with Kamindu and Rathnayake together, and Dasun Shanaka was still to come. But Pakistan's attack, led by Shaheen, checked the acceleration. The left-arm quick dismissed Kamindu and Shanaka with full deliveries, and Haris Rauf took two late wickets with short balls as Pakistan claimed six wickets in the last nine overs. Salman Agha's part-time off-spin had earlier accounted for the first two Sri Lankan wickets.
A chase rebuilt twice
Pakistan's reply began badly. Babar Azam, playing at his home ground, edged to a wide slip without scoring, extending a run of nine innings without a half-century, according to The Guardian. Maaz Sadaqat then fell to Dilshan Madushanka, leaving Pakistan at 14 for two.
Fakhar and Saad Baig, a left-handed pair at opposite ends of their careers, rebuilt the innings. Baig, on the eve of his 20th birthday, reached his first international fifty from 52 balls and made 74 before Maheesh Theekshana took a return catch. Fakhar was dropped by Theekshana on 69 and again on 106, reprieves that proved costly.
Sri Lanka's left-arm bowlers kept the contest alive. Madushanka beat Fakhar's swing with Pakistan still needing 106, and Dunith Wellalage removed Agha with a swept delivery. Boundaries dried up for more than ten overs until Arafat Minhas struck Shanaka through the covers.
The decisive passage came with Pakistan needing 46 from 30 balls, when Minhas took 15 from a Shanaka over. Minhas, 21, and Hasan Nawaz, 24, put on 94 together, and The Guardian describes the pair as having batted with the composure of seasoned players. Both Minhas and Faheem Ashraf were dismissed with two runs still required, leaving Shaheen to finish the job.
Pakistan's win follows a heavy defeat to the same opponent earlier in the series, when they were bowled out for 110. The final showed a side capable of absorbing pressure in a chase, with Fakhar's experience and the calm of two newcomers combining at the right moment.
Attention now turns to how both teams carry these performances into their next assignments, with Pakistan's middle order and Sri Lanka's death bowling the areas most likely to draw scrutiny.
