Pakistan chase 326 to beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets and win tri-series final as Fakhar Zaman hits 127
Fakhar Zaman's 127 and Arafat Minhas's 31-ball 61 carried Pakistan past 326 in Lahore for their first ODI tri-series title at home after three failures.
At a glance
- Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the ODI tri-series final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Saturday, October 31, 2026, chasing a target of 326.
- Fakhar Zaman made 127 off 99 balls after Pakistan slipped to 14-2, and added 149 with Saad Baig, who made 74. Arafat Minhas then hit 61 off 31.
- Captain Shaheen Afridi ended it with a six over midwicket after Asitha Fernando took two late wickets.
- Kamindu Mendis's maiden ODI hundred, 131 off 128, had lifted Sri Lanka to 325-8.
- It is Pakistan's first ODI tri-series title at home; they lost the previous three in 1994, 2004 and 2025.
Pakistan chased down 326 to beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the ODI tri-series final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Saturday, winning their first tri-series title on home soil. Fakhar Zaman made 127 off 99 balls, Arafat Minhas smashed 61 off 31, and captain Shaheen Afridi finished the match with a six over midwicket.
The chase equals the highest ever in an ODI final. Four days earlier, the same opponents had bowled Pakistan out for 110 in the same tournament.
From 14-2 to a 149-run stand
The start could hardly have been worse. Maaz Sadaqat fell in the second over, and Babar Azam followed for a five-ball duck, edging Dilshan Madushanka to a lone fourth slip placed for him. Pavan Rathnayake juggled the catch and held it at the fourth attempt. Pakistan were 14-2 inside four overs.
Fakhar, who had scored 16, 0, 10 and 5 in the tournament before Saturday, then took the game away from Sri Lanka. He was dropped three times and punished each miss. Saad Baig, the young wicketkeeper, reached his maiden ODI fifty and made 74 off 75 in a third-wicket stand of 149.
Fakhar's hundred came off 84 balls, his 12th in ODIs and his first since the unbeaten 126 against New Zealand at the 2023 World Cup. It was also his second century in a tournament final after The Oval in 2017, equalling Saeed Anwar's Pakistan record. Along the way he passed 4,000 ODI runs in 96 innings. Madushanka finally bowled him with a yorker in the 34th over.
How Minhas turned a wobble into a finish
Sri Lanka came back when Theekshana removed Baig, Madushanka got Fakhar, and Dunith Wellalage bowled Salman Agha for 17. Pakistan needed someone to attack, and Minhas did. He lofted Madushanka over mid-on for six, and with Hasan Nawaz holding the other end he took the score to 308-5 after 47 overs.
Then came the last twist. Minhas hit Asitha Fernando for two sixes and a four, leaving two to win, before pulling a catch back to the bowler. Faheem Ashraf, in for the injured Shadab Khan, went first ball, and Sri Lanka had a hat-trick chance with 12 balls left. Shaheen ended the argument with a six.
The final in numbers
| Player | Team | Figures |
|---|---|---|
| Fakhar Zaman | Pakistan | 127 (99 balls, 11 fours, 6 sixes) |
| Saad Baig | Pakistan | 74 (75) |
| Arafat Minhas | Pakistan | 61 (31) |
| Kamindu Mendis | Sri Lanka | 131 (128, 12 fours, 2 sixes) |
| Pavan Rathnayake | Sri Lanka | 77 (65) |
| Salman Agha | Pakistan | 2-44 from 7 overs |
Sri Lanka's 325 could have been far more
Shaheen won the toss and chose to bowl. Kamindu and Avishka Fernando opened with 87, and Kamindu reached a maiden ODI century off 107 balls. At 255-3 in the 42nd over Sri Lanka were heading well past 350, but they lost six wickets for 70 in the closing overs. Shaheen, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Salman took two each, although Naseem went for 80 and Rauf 60.
Why this title matters for Pakistan
Pakistan had hosted three earlier tri-series and lost all three: to Australia in 1994, Sri Lanka in 2004 and New Zealand last year. This win also comes with the 50-over World Cup a year away, and it answers some questions while raising another. Fakhar's return solves an opening problem. Babar's does not: he finished with 118 runs in five innings at 23.60, without a fifty.
Shadab Khan, whose 113 beat England earlier in the tournament, missed the final on medical grounds after being hit on the head by a bouncer, the Pakistan Cricket Board said. His fitness is the next thing to watch. Pakistan's Test squad to face Sri Lanka has already been named, so the two sides will meet again soon.
