PAK vs SL ODI Tri-series 2026 final scorecard, result and highlights from Lahore as Fakhar Zaman's century powers Pakistan to three-wicket victory originally appeared on Cricket News . Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Captains: Shaheen Shah Afridi ( Pakistan ), Kusal Mendis ( Sri Lanka )
Toss result: Pakistan have won the toss and have opted to field
Live Telecast: PTV Sports, Tapmad, Tamasha and PCB Live app (Pakistan), Peo TV, Siyatha TV and Dialog (Sri Lanka), Veto (India)
Umpires and match officials: Ahsan Raza and Wayne Knights (on-field umpires), Sharfuddoula (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (reserve umpire) and Jeff Crowe (match referee)
Match result: Pakistan won by 3 Wickets
Player of the Match: Fakhar Zaman for his 127 (99)
Man of the Series: Arafat Minhas for 149 runs and 9 wickets
FOLLOW LIVE: Ball-by-ball updates of the match
Follow along with the latest live scorecard here as the match unfolds, or click here for key text commentary updates from the action.
Shaheen Afridi sealed the tri-series final victory in style by launching Dilshan Madushanka for a huge six over mid-wicket on his second ball.
Arafat Minhas played a match-winning knock of 61 off just 31 balls, bringing up his fifty with back-to-back sixes before falling to Asitha Fernando in the 48th over.
Fernando picked up two wickets in two balls in the 48th over by dismissing Minhas and Faheem Ashraf, but Pakistan held their nerve to chase down 326.
Maheesh Theekshana bowled a tight spell and kept things under control, conceding just 6 runs in the 40th over.
Hasan Nawaz (13 off 21) and Arafat Minhas (5 off 8) occupied the crease calmly, rotating the strike with six consecutive singles in the 40th over.
Pakistan need 82 runs from the remaining 60 balls with 5 wickets in hand, setting up a thrilling finish to the tri-series final.
Fakhar Zaman smashed his 12th ODI century off 85 balls, pulling Asitha Fernando for four to cap off a dominant counter-attacking knock in Lahore.
Maheesh Theekshana ended the match-defining 149-run third-wicket partnership in the 27th over by taking a sharp return catch to dismiss Saad Baig for a superb 74 off 75 balls.
Pakistan accumulated 88 runs in the 10-over block, taking total control of the 326-run chase and reducing the required rate to 6.65, with 133 runs needed from the final 20 overs.
Saad Baig brought up his maiden half-century off 55 balls with a flick-down leg, leading Pakistan's recovery alongside Fakhar Zaman.
Zaman, meanwhile, provided solid support at the other end with an unbeaten 45 off 53 balls, combining with Baig to anchor his side.
Dasun Shanaka entered the attack in the 20th over, immediately testing Baig with a tight LBW review that pitched outside the leg as Pakistan kept the required rate manageable at 7.36.
Dilshan Madushanka struck twice in the powerplay, having Maaz Sadaqat caught at slip for 5 and then removing Babar Azam for a five-ball duck.
Fakhar Zaman has 22 off 30, with two sixes keeping things alive for Pakistan.
Saad Baig has been more fluent, racing to 22 off 18 with five fours, two of them pulled off by Madushanka in the sixth over, though the required rate has already climbed to 6.90.
Theekshana survived two short balls before working a single to backward square leg.
Asitha swung and missed at a full ball that just cleared off stump, the pair running a bye.
Babar's dive on the rope saved a boundary, and Asitha was denied a second off the last ball for failing to ground his bat.
Rathnayake took 10 off the first three balls, sweeping two boundaries either side of a pulled couple.
Arafat then overstepped with a high full toss that Kamindu picked up over fine leg for four.
The free hit went straight to long-on, with parts of the crowd cheering a wicket that did not count.
Salman Agha delivered Pakistan's second breakthrough in the 22nd over (21.3 ov), as he dismissed Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis for eight.
Kamindu Mendis anchored the innings and switched gears to race into the nineties and finish the 30th over on 90 off 96 deliveries.
Pavan Rathnayake settled quickly alongside Kamindu, contributing a fluent 21 off 23 balls to stitch an unbroken 54-run third-wicket partnership.
Kamindu Mendis anchored the innings with a measured half-century, reaching 51 off 64 balls with four boundaries and a six.
Salman Agha secured the breakthrough in the 18th over, trapping Avishka Fernando lbw for 38 (49 balls) to end the 87-run opening stand.
Avishka Fernando and Kamindu Mendis have established a solid opening platform.
Fernando scored 24 off 27 balls with three fours and a six, while Mendis contributed 25 off 33 balls with two fours and a six.
Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled a disciplined opening burst of 5-0-21-0, but Pakistan's attack could not break through.
Pakistan have won the toss and have opted to field
Pakistan will walk into Saturday's tri-series final in Lahore with a first home title in the format as their target, though Sri Lanka have the means to spoil the party.
The hosts have a poor record in this department, since they lost the three previous tri-series played on their own soil and finished second each time, to Australia in 1994, Sri Lanka in 2004 and New Zealand last year.
This time the signs are better, as Pakistan won their first three matches, two against England and one against Sri Lanka. The run came to an end in the last group game, when Sri Lanka beat them and bowled them out for only 110, which is the kind of collapse the team will want to forget quickly.
Pakistan will hope that two of their key batters find their rhythm in time for the decider. Opener Fakhar Zaman has managed just 31 runs in four matches, while star batter Babar Azam has scored 118 in the same period, and neither has had the impact the side expected.
Sri Lanka come in with plenty of momentum, because last week they stunned England by chasing down 430, which is the second-highest target in ODI history.
Their middle-order batter Pavan Rathnayake has been the standout performer so far, with two centuries against England and 79 runs against Pakistan, so the hosts will have to find a plan for him early.
The latest win probability for this match is below, or you can check out the latest match momentum with our Manhattan graphic here .
Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Maaz Sadaqat, Babar Azam, Saad Baig(w), Salman Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi(c), Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
Sri Lanka XI: Avishka Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka ODI Tri-Series final prediction, lineups and Gaddafi Stadium pitch report — who will win?
'Should play regularly': Waqar on why PAK does not produce great players anymore
Will Rauf be banned? ICC demerit points and suspension threat explained
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
For all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary, and to share your voice, head to our Facebook , Instagram , and X (Twitter) pages.
Loading comments…