Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka by 3 Wickets to Win ODI Tri-Series Final

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in Lahore to win the ODI tri-series final, chasing 326 with nine balls to spare as Fakhar Zaman hit 127 off 99 balls in a chase that matched a piece of one day history.

Pakistan finished on 331 for 7 and Sri Lanka had made 325 for 8. The target of 326 equals the highest successful chase in an ODI final, matching India in the 2002 NatWest Trophy final. Fakhar was named Player of the Match for an innings of eleven fours and six sixes that pulled Pakistan back from a start that could have ended the contest early.

Sri Lanka built their total around Kamindu Mendis, who made 131 off 128 balls. Pavan Rathnayake added 77 and gave the innings late weight. Salman Agha took 2 for 44 for Pakistan and Shaheen Afridi took 2 for 50, returns that kept Sri Lanka within reach on a night when a bigger total looked possible at several points.

A chase that nearly died at the start

Pakistan slumped to 14 for 2 at the start of the reply. Babar Azam was out for a duck and the home crowd had reason to fear the final was slipping away before it had settled. A target of 326 leaves little room for a broken start, and Sri Lanka had the early wickets to press home the advantage.

Fakhar and Saad Baig changed the game. Their stand of 149 runs rebuilt the innings and then put Pakistan ahead of the rate. Baig made 74 and played the steady hand while Fakhar attacked. By the time the stand ended, Pakistan were no longer chasing the game. They were chasing a total they could plan for, with wickets in hand and time to choose their moments.

Minhas turns the finish

The second stand decided the final. Arafat Minhas made 61 off 31 balls in a sixth wicket stand of 94 runs in 65 balls. That burst took the pressure off the closing overs and left Sri Lanka defending a target that had looked safe at the halfway stage.

Dilshan Madushanka was the best of the Sri Lanka bowlers with 3 for 63, but his wickets could not break the chase for long. Hasan Nawaz finished on 37 not out and kept his nerve through the last stretch. Afridi then hit the winning six in the 49th over, ending the match with nine balls left and sending the Lahore crowd into celebration.

What the result means

A home tri-series trophy matters for Pakistan for more than the silverware. The side chased a large total in a final, under pressure, after losing two early wickets and their biggest name for no score. Finals often turn on one innings. This one turned on two partnerships, first the recovery by Fakhar and Baig, then the speed of Minhas late in the chase.

For Sri Lanka, the defeat will sting because so much of the work was done. Mendis made a hundred in a final. Rathnayake gave him strong support. The bowlers struck early and took seven wickets. Yet 325 for 8 was not enough once Pakistan found rhythm in the middle overs and kept wickets for the finish.

The record line will travel with this match. A chase of 326 in a final now sits alongside India's famous chase in the 2002 NatWest Trophy final. Pakistan did it at home, in Lahore, with Fakhar setting the pace, Baig holding the middle together, Minhas breaking the game open and Afridi landing the final blow.