Pakistan were 14 for 2 chasing 326, and they matched India’s 2002 Lord’s record to win the tri-series final
Fakhar Zaman made 127, Arafat Minhas hit 61 off 31 and Shaheen Afridi finished it with a six as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in Lahore on Saturday.
Nov 1, 2026
Only one team had ever chased as many as 326 to win an ODI final before Saturday, and it was India at Lord’s in 2002. Pakistan have now done it too. Sri Lanka set them 326 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan lost two wickets for 14 runs, and they still got home by three wickets with nine balls to spare to take the tri-series.
Kamindu’s hundred, then a late slide
Sri Lanka looked set for a lot more than 325. Avishka Fernando and Kamindu Mendis opened with a stand of 87, and Kamindu went on to 131 off 128 balls, his first ODI century. Pavan Rathnayake added 77 off 65, and the two put on 146 for the third wicket.
At 255 for 2 after 41 overs, 350 was in sight. Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 70 in the last nine overs instead, with Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf taking two each.
Fakhar and Baig rebuild from 14 for 2
Dilshan Madushanka then removed Maaz Sadaqat for 5 and Babar Azam for a duck inside four overs. Fakhar Zaman and Saad Baig put on 149 for the third wicket. Baig, playing in his first ODI series, made 74 off 75 before Maheesh Theekshana held a return catch. Fakhar’s 127 came off 99 balls with 11 fours and six sixes. It was his 12th ODI hundred, and it ended when Madushanka came back and bowled him.
Arafat Minhas and a nervy finish
With Fakhar and Baig gone and Salman Agha bowled by Dunith Wellalage for 17, Pakistan were 230 for 5 and still needed 96. Arafat Minhas took that out of Sri Lanka’s hands. He hit 61 off 31 balls with four sixes, and he and Hasan Nawaz, who made a steadier 37 not out off 45, added 94 for the sixth wicket.
It still got tight. Asitha Fernando had Minhas caught and bowled and then got Faheem Ashraf first ball, both with the score on 324, which left Pakistan two short with three wickets in hand. Shaheen, the captain, ended it by hitting Madushanka for six. Fakhar was player of the match, and Minhas, who also bowled ten overs in the final, was player of the series.
Level with Lord’s 2002
For Indian fans, 326 is a familiar number. Sourav Ganguly’s side chased England’s 325 in the NatWest Series final at Lord’s in July 2002, the game India were 146 for 5 in before Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh turned it round, and the one Ganguly celebrated by waving his shirt on the balcony. It had stood alone as the highest successful chase in an ODI final for 24 years. Pakistan now share it.
Pakistan won three of their four league games to top the table on six points, ahead of Sri Lanka on four and England on two. Kusal Mendis, Sri Lanka’s captain, said his side were 25 to 30 runs short and blamed their fielding. He has a point. They had 350 in their sights with nine overs left and lost by nine balls.