Fakhar's 127 and Minhas' Late Blitz Seal a Thriller for Pakistan

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-11-01

There are cricket matches you watch, and then there are cricket matches that make you forget to breathe. Pakistan's three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the ODI tri-series final on October 31, 2026, at a roaring Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore was firmly in the second category. Chasing 326, Pakistan got home at 327 for seven with nine balls to spare. It was their first ODI tri-series title since the Kitply Cup win over India in Dhaka, and the crowd made sure everyone knew it. ### Sri Lanka Build a Big Total Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and put Sri Lanka in. The visitors started steadily, with Kamindu Mendis and Avishka Fernando putting on 50 inside the first ten overs. Avishka made 38 off 49 balls before Salman Ali Agha got him in the 18th over. Salman struck again four overs later to remove Kusal Mendis, leaving Sri Lanka at 109 for two. Then came the innings that changed the game's shape. Kamindu Mendis reached his maiden ODI century off 107 balls and finished with 131 off 128, including 12 fours and two sixes. Rathnayake gave him perfect company with 77 off 65. The pair added 146 for the third wicket and took Sri Lanka to 238 for two after 40 overs. Shaheen broke the stand in the 42nd over, and the death overs turned messy for Sri Lanka. They lost six wickets for 70 runs in their last nine overs and closed on 325 for eight. Rathnayake ended the tournament as the top scorer with 427 runs. ### The Chase That Nearly Slipped Away Pakistan's reply began badly. Dilshan Madushanka removed Maaz Sadaqat for five in the second over, then got Babar Azam for a five-ball duck in the fourth. At that point, 326 looked a long way off. Fakhar Zaman had other ideas. He and Saad Baig put together 149 for the third wicket, with Baig cracking 11 boundaries in his 74 off 75. Fakhar brought up his half-century off 52 balls, then his 12th ODI century off just 84. Madushanka finally bowled him in the 34th over for 127 off 99, with 11 fours and six sixes. Pakistan still wobbled to 230 for five in the 37th over. They needed 96 from the last 78 balls, and the game was hanging in the balance. ### Minhas Turns the Tide Arafat Minhas had no interest in a slow finish. He reached his fifty off 28 balls and ended with 61 off 31, including three fours and four sixes. He and Hasan Nawaz added 50 off 49 for the sixth wicket to drag Pakistan to the brink. Minhas fell in the 48th over with just two runs needed. Fittingly, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi finished it himself, launching a six over midwicket off Madushanka in the 49th over. > "Man for the big occasions" was how the Pakistan camp described Fakhar's knock, and it's hard to argue. ### What This Win Means - Pakistan's first ODI tri-series title since the Kitply Cup in Dhaka - Fakhar Zaman joined Saeed Anwar as the only batters with multiple ODI centuries in finals - Kamindu Mendis posted a career-best 131 in a losing cause - Rathnayake topped the tournament run charts with 427 For fans in the United States, this was the kind of late-night watch that makes the next morning's coffee taste a little better. Pakistan didn't just chase a total. They absorbed pressure, lost big wickets at bad times, and still found two heroes in Fakhar and Minhas to carry them over the line. That's the thing about finals. Numbers tell part of the story, but the nerve shown in the last ten overs tells the rest. On this night, Pakistan had more of it.