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

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-11-01

Sometimes a cricket match tells you everything in the last five overs. Pakistan needed 96 runs from 78 balls when Arafat Minhas walked in, and what followed was the kind of finish fans talk about for years. Pakistan chased down 326 to beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the ODI tri-series final at a packed Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on October 31, 2026. They got there with nine balls to spare, finishing on 327 for seven in 48.3 overs. It was their first ODI tri-series title since the Kitply Cup win over India back in Dhaka. ### Kamindu Mendis Makes His Mark Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and put Sri Lanka in. The openers got going early, with Kamindu Mendis and Avishka Fernando putting up 50 inside the first ten overs. Avishka made 38 off 49 before Salman Ali Agha got him in the 18th. Four overs later, Salman struck again to send back captain Kusal Mendis, leaving Sri Lanka at 109 for two. Then came the partnership that changed the innings. Kamindu reached his maiden ODI century off 107 balls, and he wasn't done. He finished with 131 off 128 deliveries, including 12 fours and two sixes. Rathnayake matched him shot for shot with 77 off 65, and the two put on 146 for the third wicket in just 119 balls. Sri Lanka were cruising at 238 for two after 40 overs. Then Shaheen broke the stand in the 42nd, and the wheels came off. Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 70 runs in their last nine overs, closing on 325 for eight. Rathnayake ended the tournament as the top scorer with 427 runs. ### Fakhar Zaman Takes Control Chasing 326, Pakistan stumbled early. Dilshan Madushanka removed Maaz Sadaqat for five in the second over, then got Babar Azam for a five-ball duck in the fourth. Not exactly the start you'd script. Fakhar Zaman had other ideas. He and Saad Baig put together a 149-run stand for the third wicket. Saad hit 11 boundaries on his way to 74 off 75. Fakhar brought up his 20th ODI fifty off 52 balls, then his 12th ODI century off 84. Madushanka finally got him in the 34th over, but the damage was done: 127 off 99 balls, with 11 fours and six sixes. Pakistan slipped to 230 for five in the 37th when Salman Agha fell for 17. The equation looked steep again. ### Minhas Delivers the Knockout Here's where the game flipped. Arafat Minhas got to his fifty off just 28 balls, and he kept going. He finished 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 with Pakistan needing two. Fittingly, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi finished it himself, launching a six over midwicket off Madushanka in the 49th. > "Man for the big occasions" was how Pakistan Cricket put it about Fakhar, and it's hard to argue. He's now the second batter after Saeed Anwar to score multiple centuries in ODI finals. ### What This Win Means A few takeaways from this one: - Pakistan's middle order answered the doubters when it mattered most. - Sri Lanka's collapse in the final nine overs cost them a trophy they'd largely controlled. - Kamindu Mendis announced himself as a big-match player with that 131. - Fakhar Zaman's record in finals is becoming a genuine storyline. It wasn't a perfect performance from Pakistan. Losing Babar for a duck and wobbling at 230 for five is not how you draw up a chase. But championship teams find ways, and this Pakistan side found one when it counted.