Pakistan Chase Down 326 to Win Tri-Series Title: Zaman's 127 Powers Joint-Highest Successful Chase in an ODI Final
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the One-Day International tri-series final in Lahore on Saturday, with opener Fakhar Zaman scoring 127 to anchor the chase and end the hosts' long wait for the title.
Sri Lanka batted first and posted 325 for eight, built around Kamindu Mendis' 131 off 128 balls and Pavan Rathnayake's fluent 77. The pair shared a 146-run partnership before Pakistan struck late, with Shaheen Shah Afridi taking two wickets for 50 runs to curb any push beyond 340.
Pakistan's chase began badly as Dilshan Madushanka struck twice in the powerplay, including the prized wicket of Babar Azam for a five-ball duck. Zaman rebuilt the innings with Saad Baig in a 149-run partnership, with Baig making 74 for his maiden ODI fifty before falling to Maheesh Theekshana.
Zaman accelerated after his half-century to register his 12th ODI century and added a brisk 57 runs with Salman Agha. After both fell, leaving Pakistan at 230 for five, Arafat Minhas' half-century and a 94-run stand with Hasan Nawaz carried the hosts home: Pakistan finished on 331 with nine balls to spare, completing the joint-highest successful chase in an ODI final.
The win secured Pakistan's first ODI tri-series title since 2008, when they beat India in the Kitply Cup final in Bangladesh, and made amends for their defeat to New Zealand in the final of a home tri-series in 2025, Reuters reported.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：巴基斯坦击球手Fakhar Zaman在2017年对斯里兰卡的单日国际赛中（资料图）。照片：Pakistan Cricket Board，CC BY 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman during a 2017 ODI against Sri Lanka (file photo). Photo by Pakistan Cricket Board, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
