Pakistan claimed victory in the tri-series championship match against Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, winning by three wickets in a closely contested encounter that extended into the penultimate over.
Sri Lanka established a target of 326 runs, anchored by Kamindu Mendis’s 131 and Pavan Rathnayake’s 77. The partnership between Mendis and Rathnayake yielded 146 runs in approximately 20 overs, while opener Avishka Fernando contributed an 87-run stand. Rathnayake accumulated 427 runs across the tri-series at an average of 106.75, including two centuries against England. Dasun Shanaka provided impetus late in the innings as Sri Lanka pushed toward 255 after 41 overs before Pakistan’s bowlers restricted the final nine overs to six wickets.
In response, Pakistan’s opening partnership dissolved quickly, with Babar Azam departing without scoring to Pavan Rathnayake and Maaz Sadaqat falling early to Dilshan Madushanka. Fakhar Zaman and Saad Baig stabilized the innings through aggressive batting before Baig’s dismissal at 74 left the chase uncertain. Zaman accelerated to 127 before his removal, with both Sri Lankan spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage creating pressure.
Arafat Minhas, the 21-year-old left-arm spinner who had taken six wickets against England earlier in the tournament, shifted the momentum with powerful batting. His partnership with Hasan Nawaz yielded 94 runs as Pakistan narrowed the equation. The decisive moment arrived in the penultimate over when Minhas scored 15 runs off Dasun Shanaka’s bowling. After Minhas and Faheem Ashraf departed with two runs still required, Shaheen Afridi completed the victory with a boundary.
The tri-series final provided a fitting conclusion to the mini-tournament format, which had featured matches between Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England across its duration.
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