Pakistan are the champions of the ODI tri-series. Chasing a daunting 326 for victory in the final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, the hosts reached 331 for seven in 48.3 overs, beating Sri Lanka by three wickets with nine balls to spare and sending a packed home crowd into celebration.
It was a chase built on one magnificent innings. Fakhar Zaman’s 127 anchored Pakistan’s reply to Sri Lanka’s 325 for eight, and when the left-hander fell, the middle order held its nerve — before captain Shaheen Shah Afridi settled the contest with a six that will be replayed for years.
Fakhar Zaman’s 127 anchors the chase
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl, backing their batters to hunt down whatever Sri Lanka posted. That faith looked well placed once Fakhar found his rhythm. The opener’s 127 was the backbone of the innings — a knock of timing and controlled aggression that kept Pakistan ahead of the required rate of 6.52 through the middle overs.
Saad Baig’s 74 and a breezy 61 from Arafat Minhas gave Fakhar the support he needed, and the chase never truly stalled. There were wobbles — Sri Lanka’s bowlers struck at key moments — but Hasan Nawaz’s unbeaten 37 off 45 balls kept the scoreboard moving when the pressure peaked. With the finish line in sight, Faheem Ashraf fell for a duck at 324 for seven, and it was left to the captain to finish the job.
Kamindu Mendis’s maiden ODI hundred sets the platform
Earlier, it was Kamindu Mendis who had threatened to take the game away from Pakistan. The Sri Lanka batter compiled a superb 131 from 128 balls — his maiden ODI century, decorated with 12 fours and two sixes — and shared a 146-run third-wicket stand off 146 balls with Pavan Rathnayake, who made 77 from 65.
At 255 for three after 41 overs, Sri Lanka were tracking a total in the region of 350. But Pakistan’s seamers produced a superb finish. Kamindu’s dismissal, lbw to Shaheen at the start of the 42nd over, triggered a collapse: Sri Lanka lost five wickets for 52 runs and managed only 70 from their last nine overs, their tail forced to play out the final 11 deliveries. Shaheen finished with two for 50, Haris Rauf removed the dangerous Rathnayake, and Naseem Shah chipped in as Sri Lanka closed on 325 for eight.
Shaheen’s six seals it in front of a roaring Lahore crowd
Sri Lanka’s bowlers made Pakistan earn every run. Dilshan Madushanka was their standout with three for 63, and Asitha Fernando claimed two for 72, but the required rate never climbed out of reach. Pakistan finished at 6.82 runs an over — proof of a chase paced almost to perfection.
The winning moment belonged to the captain. With the scores level and the crowd on its feet, Shaheen Shah Afridi — unbeaten on six from just three balls — launched the ball over the ropes to seal a three-wicket win and spark wild celebrations at Gaddafi Stadium.
A title won the hard way
This was no flat-track procession. Pakistan had to overhaul 326 against an attack that kept striking back, and they did it in front of their own supporters — a combination that will live long in the memory.
There is consolation for Sri Lanka in Kamindu Mendis’s tournament: his 427 runs came at a strike rate of 123, making him the series’ leading run-scorer by a distance, and his century was the first time in four innings he had been dismissed for under a hundred.
For Pakistan, the triumph continues a happy habit at this venue — they famously chased 349 against Australia at Gaddafi Stadium four years ago — and delivers a trophy their fans demanded. On a night when the batting did the talking and the captain landed the final blow, few in Lahore will complain about how it was won.
Sources: full scorecard and match details via ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz; toss and build-up via The News (AFP).
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