Fakhar Zaman scored 127 as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the final of the one-day international tri-series in Lahore on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Chasing 326, Pakistan reached 331-7 in 48.3 overs, with Zaman’s century outdoing Kamindu Mendis’s maiden ODI century for Sri Lanka.
It was a final shaped by comebacks. Zaman came into the match with only 31 runs in his last four innings and spent most of the time in the dressing room after injuring his right knee while fielding. He then produced the innings of the tournament, in front of 31,265 home fans at Gaddafi Stadium, as dew made the ball wet and hard for Sri Lanka’s bowlers to control.
Key Takeaways
- Fakhar Zaman scored 127 as Pakistan chased 326 to beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in Lahore.
- Kamindu Mendis made 131, his maiden ODI century, as Sri Lanka posted 325-8 after batting first for the first time in the tournament.
- Arafat Minhas scored 61 off 31 balls and Hasan Nawaz finished 37 not out to complete the chase after Zaman fell with 106 still needed.
Sri Lanka set a testing total
Sri Lanka, batting first for the first time in the tournament, posted 325-8, built around Mendis’s 131. It was his maiden century in one-day internationals, and it gave Sri Lanka a total that demanded a near-perfect chase under lights, with dew already a factor in the evening conditions.
Pakistan’s chase started badly. Maaz Sadaqat fell for 5 and Babar Azam was out for a five-ball duck, silencing much of the home crowd and leaving the innings in trouble before it had begun. What followed was the partnership that changed the final.
Zaman and Baig rebuild the chase
Zaman revived the chase with 19-year-old Saad Baig, who made 74 off 75 balls. The pair put up a 149-run stand, steadying Pakistan after the early losses and keeping the required rate within reach as the ball grew wetter and harder to grip.
Zaman revived the chase with 19-year-old Saad Baig, who made 74 off 75 balls, and the pair put up a 149-run stand.
Zaman revived the chase with 19-year-old Saad Baig, who made 74 off 75 balls, and the pair put up a 149-run stand. Zaman reached his century off 84 balls, but he owed his survival to Sri Lanka’s fielding. Maheesh Theekshana, playing his first match in the tri-series, missed out on claiming Zaman on 69 and 106, when he could not hold on to a return catch, and dropped Zaman again, a sitter on the boundary, after the century.
Those missed chances proved costly. Zaman’s 99-ball innings finally ended in the 34th over when he was clean bowled by Dilshan Madushanka, with Pakistan still 106 runs from victory. Madushanka finished with 3-63, but the damage from the dropped catches had already been done.
- Pakistan 331-7 beat Sri Lanka 325-8 by three wickets, with 9 balls to spare.
- Fakhar Zaman 127 off 99 balls, reaching his century off 84 balls, after only 31 runs in his previous four innings.
- Kamindu Mendis 131, his maiden ODI century, for Sri Lanka.
- Saad Baig, 19, made 74 off 75 balls in a 149-run stand with Zaman.
- Arafat Minhas scored 61 off 31 balls; Hasan Nawaz finished 37 not out.
Minhas and Nawaz finish the job
The wet ball could not help Sri Lanka as the young pair of Minhas and Hasan Nawaz kept their nerve. Minhas’s robust 61 off 31 balls swung the momentum back to Pakistan, and Nawaz, unbeaten on 37, stayed calm through the closing overs.
There was late drama. Asitha Fernando, who finished with 2-72, added to the tension by taking the wickets of Minhas and Faheem Ashraf off successive balls. Nawaz held his nerve, however, and Pakistan crossed the line with 9 balls remaining, sealing a three-wicket win in a final that had swung several times.
The result also closed the book on the third team in the tournament. England, the other tri-series team, were knocked out after losing three of their four games, leaving Pakistan and Sri Lanka to contest a final that lived up to its billing. Elsewhere in sport on Saturday, the West Indies beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in Mirpur, while Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 2-0 and the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games opened as Africa’s first Olympic event.
What to Watch Next
What to watch next is how Pakistan build on a final won by their young middle order as well as by Zaman’s century, and whether Sri Lanka can turn Mendis’s maiden century and a competitive total into a winning formula in their next series. For Zaman, the question is whether a match-winning 127, after a lean spell and a knee injury in the field, marks a return to form or a one-off rescue act.
The next series will also test whether the lessons of Lahore hold: that dropped catches at this level are punished, that dew can undo a bowling plan, and that a chase of 326 is never done until the last runs are scored.