Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in ODI tri-series final in Lahore

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the final of the one-day international (ODI) tri-series at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Fakhar Zaman scored 127. His innings outweighed Kamindu Mendis's 131, his first ODI century. England was the third team in the series.

Sri Lanka batted first for the first time in the tournament and set a target of 326. Al Jazeera gives their total as 325-8. Pakistan completed the chase in the penultimate over. Al Jazeera gives the winning total as 331-7 in 48.3 overs.

How the chase unfolded

Pakistan lost Maaz Sadaqat and Babar Azam early. Babar was out without scoring. Saad Baig then scored 74 in a partnership with Zaman. Maheesh Theekshana dropped Zaman on 69 and on 106. Dilshan Madushanka dismissed Zaman with Pakistan still needing 106 runs.

Arafat Minhas scored 61 off 31 balls. Hasan Nawaz batted with him in the closing stages. Minhas and Faheem Ashraf were dismissed late in the chase.

According to Al Jazeera, Zaman and Baig put on 149, and Zaman reached his century off 84 balls. Al Jazeera reported that Zaman injured his right knee while fielding and spent most of Sri Lanka's innings in the dressing room. It said he came into the final with 31 runs in his previous four innings. Al Jazeera also reported that dew made the ball wet and hard for Sri Lankan bowlers to control. It put attendance at 31,265.

According to The Guardian, Minhas and Nawaz shared a stand of 94. Minhas and Ashraf fell with two runs still needed, and Shaheen Afridi hit the winning six. Al Jazeera reported that Asitha Fernando dismissed both off successive balls and that Nawaz finished on 37 not out.

Sri Lanka's innings

According to The Guardian, Pavan Rathnayake scored 77 and added 146 with Kamindu Mendis inside 20 overs. Sri Lanka were 255 after 41 overs, but Pakistan took six wickets in the last nine overs. The Guardian reported that Rathnayake finished the series with 427 runs at an average of 106.75. It said Mendis's 131 more than doubled his previous ODI career-best.

What each side says

The Guardian quoted Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis as saying: "We had to score another 30 runs." The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include any comment from Pakistan's captain or players.

What is unclear

The Guardian lists two drops by Theekshana, on 69 and 106. Al Jazeera reports that Theekshana dropped Zaman again, a sitter on the boundary, after his century. Al Jazeera describes Zaman's injury as a bruised knee. The reports do not say whether it will affect his availability. They do not name the player of the match or of the series.

Analysis

The result gives Pakistan the tri-series title after a chase of more than 300 that began with the loss of two early wickets. Several questions remain open in the reports reviewed by Vocemundi. Al Jazeera describes Zaman's knee injury as a bruise, but any effect on his availability is not addressed. Babar Azam's run of nine innings without a half-century, as reported by The Guardian, may draw attention. For Sri Lanka, strong batting from Rathnayake and Kamindu Mendis contrasts with late wickets and missed chances in the field. Whether these patterns persist will depend on future matches, not on a single final.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.