Pakistan and Sri Lanka meet again at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, 31 October, in the ODI tri-series final, four days after Sri Lanka bowled Pakistan out for 110 at the same ground in one of the shortest matches of the series. The ODI tri-series final gives Pakistan a home trophy to win and a quick chance to answer the batting collapse that has followed them through the tournament, while Sri Lanka arrive as the form team after knocking England out of the competition.
Pakistan still finished top of the points table with six points from three wins and one defeat. Sri Lanka took second place with four points, and England, beaten in all three of their matches, were eliminated before their final league game against Sri Lanka on Thursday, which is now a dead rubber.
How Sri Lanka Stormed Into the ODI Tri-Series Final
Sri Lanka booked their place in the ODI tri-series final on Tuesday, 27 October, with an eight-wicket win that was settled inside 44 overs of cricket. After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, Sri Lanka dismissed Pakistan for 110 in 25.3 overs. Left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka took a career-best 5 for 34 in 8.3 overs and was named player of the match, with Sahan Arachchige claiming two wickets and Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga and Dunith Wellalage one each.
Babar Azam top-scored for Pakistan with 29 off 33 balls, followed by Hasan Nawaz with 17 and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi with 15 off 13 balls. Fakhar Zaman made five and Maaz Sadaqat eight, as Pakistan slumped to 64 for 6 and never recovered. The total of 110 was Pakistan’s second-lowest in a home ODI, behind only the 75 all out against the same opponents in Lahore in 2009.
The chase was a formality. Kamindu Mendis finished unbeaten on 62 off 60 balls, with eight fours and two sixes, and Pavan Rathnayake added an unbeaten 23 off 26 balls in an unbroken 52-run stand. Sri Lanka reached 114 for 2 in 18.1 overs, winning with nearly 32 overs to spare.
Pakistan’s Road to the Final
Before Tuesday, Pakistan had been the team to beat. They opened the series in Rawalpindi by beating Sri Lanka on 18 October, when a century from Salman Ali Agha set up a 37-run win. They then beat England twice. In Rawalpindi on 20 October, Arafat Minhas starred as Pakistan beat England by 87 runs, and in Lahore on 25 October, Shadab Khan’s maiden century sealed a one-wicket win in a pink-ball day-night thriller.
Those results are why a single bad afternoon has not cost Pakistan top spot. Three wins built enough of a cushion that even the heavy defeat to Sri Lanka left them first in the table, and a final on home soil, in front of a Lahore crowd, is the best possible setting to put the collapse behind them. More coverage of Pakistan’s campaign is collected on our Pakistan sports good news page.
What Pakistan Must Fix Before Saturday
The concern is not one bad day but a pattern. Shaheen admitted after the match that the top order has been collapsing for the last three or four games, and said the team needs to forget the defeat quickly, take the positives from the earlier wins and focus on the final. The short ball troubled Pakistan’s batters on Tuesday, and with three days of practice before the final, the work in the nets is obvious: survive Madushanka’s new-ball spell and give the middle order a platform.
Sri Lanka, by contrast, have no such repairs to make. Their fast bowlers took early wickets, their fielding held up, and their batters finished the job without fuss. They beat Pakistan and England within a few days in Lahore conditions, and they know the same attack can trouble Pakistan again on Saturday. Pakistan’s advantage is depth and home support; Sri Lanka’s is momentum and a fresh memory of exactly how to beat this batting line-up.
Match Details
- Match: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI tri-series final
- Date: Saturday, 31 October 2026
- Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
- Start: 1:00 pm Pakistan time, with the toss at 12:30 pm
- League standings: Pakistan 6 points, Sri Lanka 4 points, England 0 points
- Last meeting: Sri Lanka won by eight wickets on 27 October, Pakistan 110 all out, Sri Lanka 114 for 2
One of the two league meetings ended in a century and a comfortable Pakistan win, the other in a collapse and a Sri Lanka stroll. The final now decides which version of this Pakistan team shows up when a trophy is on the line.
Sources
- Cricket Times: Madushanka’s five-for as Sri Lanka crush Pakistan to reach the final
- The Sport Star: tri-series schedule, squads and fixtures
- Photo: Sri Lanka celebrate a wicket as a Pakistan batter walks off during the tri-series match in Lahore on 27 October (Photo: Cricket Times)
Umar is an engineer by profession and a passionate writer by passion. He has a deep interest in sharing good news related to Pakistan and has been working hard to promote the positive image of his homeland. Umar has written numerous articles on various topics related to Pakistan, such as technology, sports, culture, and economy.