Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets to win the ODI tri series final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday. They chased down 326 with 9 balls to spare.
Fakhar Zaman’s 127 set up the chase, and Arafat Minhas’s 61 off 31 balls brought Pakistan to the edge of victory. Asitha Fernando then removed Arafat and Faheem Ashraf off consecutive balls with two runs needed, before Shaheen Afridi hit the winning runs. Hasan Nawaz finished 37 not out.
The chase started badly. Dilshan Madushanka removed Maaz Sadaqat for 5 and Babar Azam for a duck, both caught by Pavan Rathnayake. That left Pakistan 14 for 2 in the fourth over.
Fakhar and Saad Baig rebuilt with a 149 run stand for the third wicket. Baig made 74 off 75 balls with 11 fours before Maheesh Theekshana caught and bowled him.
Fakhar reached his century off 84 balls. He was bowled by Madushanka for 127 off 99 balls, with 11 fours and six sixes. Madushanka finished with 3 for 56.
When Salman Ali Agha fell to Dunith Wellalage for 17, Pakistan were 230 for 5 in the 37th over and needed 96 off 79 balls. Hasan and Arafat added 94 for the sixth wicket.
Arafat reached his second ODI fifty off 28 balls, with consecutive sixes off Asitha in the 48th over. He followed them with a four, then top edged a pull and was caught by the bowler for 61, with three fours and four sixes. Faheem was caught by Theekshana first ball.
Earlier, Kamindu Mendis scored 131 off 128 balls, his maiden century, and Rathnayake added 77 off 65. Their third wicket stand of 146 took Sri Lanka to 255 for 3 by the 42nd over.
Pakistan pulled the innings back from there. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Salman and Haris Rauf took two wickets each, and Sri Lanka finished on 325 for 8.
Pakistan played without Shadab Khan, who was ruled out for medical reasons after being hit by a bouncer in the previous match against Sri Lanka. Faheem replaced him.
The win came four days after Sri Lanka bowled Pakistan out for 110 in Lahore and won by 8 wickets, a result that took them into the final
