Fakhar Zaman’s Inspiring Century and Late-Inning Heroics Propel Pakistan to Thrilling Tri-Series Final Victory Over Sri Lanka

Fakhar Zaman overcame both a painful bruised knee and a prolonged lean patch with the bat to score a magnificent 127, propelling Pakistan to a thrilling three-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in a high-scoring and dramatic final of the one-day international cricket tri-series on Saturday at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Zaman’s electrifying and entertaining innings, combined with a robust and fearless 61 off just 31 balls from Arafat Minhas, steered Pakistan across the finish line with a winning total of 331-7 in 48.3 overs. The tense run chase was ultimately aided by challenging fielding conditions as heavy evening dew descended upon the venue, making the cricket ball increasingly slippery and difficult for the Sri Lankan bowling attack to control in the latter stages of the match.

Earlier in the day, the championship showdown began with a masterclass in batting from Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis. Playing in their first match of the tournament where they batted first, Sri Lanka posted a formidable total of 325-8, anchored by Mendis’s brilliant 131, which marked his maiden one-day international century. Mendis anchored the innings with composure and authority, setting a challenging target of 326 for the hosts and silencing the early optimism of the passionate home crowd.

For Zaman, the century and the victory represented a stunning and much-needed reversal of fortunes. The explosive left-handed opening batsman had entered the crucial final carrying a dismal run of form, having accumulated a meager total of just 31 runs across his previous four international innings. Furthermore, his physical preparedness for the match had been thrown into serious doubt during the first half of the game when he sustained an injury to his right knee while fielding. The blow forced him to spend a significant portion of the innings receiving medical attention and resting in the team dressing room, leaving lingering concerns over whether he would be fit enough to anchor Pakistan’s reply.

Those concerns appeared entirely justified when Pakistan suffered a disastrous start to their run chase. Cheered on by a roaring capacity crowd of 31,265 fans packed into the iconic Gaddafi Stadium, the home side stumbled immediately. Opener Maaz Sadaqat was dismissed cheaply for just 5 runs, failing to establish a foothold at the crease. Worse was to follow for the home supporters when premier batsman Babar Azam was sent packing for a painful five-ball duck, leaving Pakistan reeling and placing immense pressure on the remaining batsmen to rescue the innings from a precarious position.

With the team in early trouble, Zaman initiated a magnificent recovery alongside 19-year-old Saad Baig. Displaying maturity and technical poise well beyond his years, Baig played a crucial supporting role, contributing a vital 74 runs from 75 deliveries. Together, Zaman and Baig breathed new life into the Pakistani chase by constructing a monumental 149-run partnership for the third wicket. This crucial stand frustrated the Sri Lankan bowlers, stabilized the innings, and shifted the psychological momentum back toward the home side under the Lahore lights.

Sri Lanka’s fielding efforts during this critical phase were severely hampered by missed opportunities, with off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana—making his first appearance of the tri-series—proving to be unfortunate protagonist. Theekshana had golden opportunities to dismiss Zaman twice when the batsman was on 69 and 106, failing to hold onto difficult return catches off his own bowling. The fielding woes deepened for Sri Lanka when Theekshana dropped Zaman yet again, spilling a straightforward chance near the boundary rope just after the Pakistani opener had reached his hard-fought century off 84 balls.

Zaman’s memorable 99-ball knock finally came to an end in the 34th over of the innings. He was clean bowled by pace bowler Dilshan Madushanka, departing to a standing ovation from the appreciative Lahore crowd. At the time of his dismissal, Pakistan still required 106 runs from victory, leaving the match delicately poised. Madushanka was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, finishing his spell with impressive figures of 3-63 and keeping his side in contention despite the challenging wet conditions.

The slippery ball, caused by the heavy dew, severely limited the effectiveness of the Sri Lankan spin attack and made gripping the ball an arduous task. Capitalizing on these favorable batting conditions, the young pairing of Arafat Minhas and Hasan Nawaz kept their collective nerve during the tense closing stages. Nawaz anchored one end to remain unbeaten on 37, while Minhas launched a fierce counter-attack that turned the match decisively in Pakistan’s favor.

However, the drama at Gaddafi Stadium was far from over. Pacer Asitha Fernando injected late tension into the final by claiming the wickets of both Minhas and Faheem Ashraf off successive deliveries in a dramatic double-strike, finishing his spell with figures of 2-72. Despite the late flurry of wickets, Pakistan maintained their composure to cross the finish line with nine balls to spare.

The conclusion of the tri-series also marked the elimination of England, the third competing nation in the tournament, which bowed out of contention after suffering three defeats in its four preliminary matches, leaving Pakistan and Sri Lanka to contest a memorable and hard-fought final.