Fakhar's 127 and Minhas' Late Blitz Seal Pakistan's Tri-Series Glory

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-11-01

Pakistan chased down 326 with nine balls to spare at a packed Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on October 31, 2026, beating Sri Lanka by three wickets to claim the ODI tri-series trophy. It was their first title of this kind since the Kitply Cup win over India back in Dhaka. For most of the afternoon, though, this looked like Sri Lanka's game to lose. Funny how cricket works. ### Kamindu Mendis Puts Sri Lanka in Charge Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and chose to bowl. Sri Lanka's openers, Kamindu Mendis and Avishka Fernando, put on 50 inside the first ten overs. Fernando made 38 off 49 balls with two fours and a six before Salman Ali Agha got him in the 18th over. Four overs later, Agha struck again to remove captain Kusal Mendis, leaving Sri Lanka at 109 for two. That brought Kamindu and Rathnayake together, and the pair simply took over. Kamindu reached his maiden ODI century off 107 balls in the 34th over. He finished with 131 off 128 deliveries, laced with 12 fours and two sixes. Rathnayake added 77 off 65, and their 146-run stand for the third wicket came off just 119 balls. > "Pure class, composure, and power when it mattered most." That was how Sri Lanka Cricket summed up Kamindu's career-best knock on social media. Sri Lanka sat pretty at 238 for two after 40 overs. Then Shaheen broke the stand in the 42nd over, and the wheels came off. Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 70 runs in their final nine overs, finishing on 325 for eight. Rathnayake ended the tournament as its leading run-scorer with 427 runs. ### Fakhar Zaman Answers the Call Chasing 326, Pakistan stumbled early. Dilshan Madushanka bowled Maaz Sadaqat for five in the second over, then removed Babar Azam for a five-ball duck in the fourth. At that point, the home crowd had every reason to worry. Fakhar Zaman had other ideas. He and Saad Baig put together a 149-run partnership for the third wicket. Baig hit 11 boundaries on his way to 74 off 75 balls, giving Fakhar the platform he needed. Fakhar brought up his 20th ODI fifty off 52 balls in the 22nd over, then his 12th ODI century off just 84 balls in the 30th. He became only the second batter after Saeed Anwar to score multiple centuries in ODI finals. Madushanka finally got him in the 34th over, but the damage was done: 127 off 99 balls, with 11 fours and six sixes. ### Arafat Minhas Steals the Show When Salman Agha fell in the 37th over, Pakistan were 230 for five and still needed 96 from the last 78 deliveries. Enter Arafat Minhas. He reached his half-century off 28 balls and finished with 61 off just 31, including three fours and four sixes. Minhas and Hasan Nawaz added 50 off 49 for the sixth wicket to drag Pakistan to the doorstep of victory. Minhas fell in the 48th over with just two runs needed. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi then sealed it himself, smashing a six over midwicket off Madushanka in the 49th over. Pakistan finished on 327 for seven in 48.3 overs. ### What This Win Means - Pakistan's first ODI tri-series title since the 2008 Kitply Cup - Fakhar Zaman cements his reputation as a big-match player - Arafat Minhas announces himself as a finisher worth watching - Sri Lanka will rue letting 238 for two become 325 for eight For Pakistan, it's a trophy that says as much about their nerve as their talent. For Sri Lanka, it's a painful reminder that in one-day cricket, the last ten overs matter just as much as the first forty.