Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in Lahore
Unbeaten Pakistan face Sri Lanka on Tuesday in the fifth One-day International of the tri-series at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi’s team have already locked a place in Saturday’s final after three straight wins, so the contest is mainly a chance to trial combinations and steady a shaky top order before the title game.
For Sri Lanka, the stakes are sharper. They beat England by two wickets earlier in the series. Victory on Tuesday would put them in the final with Pakistan. A home win would leave England still chasing qualification ahead of their last league match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Shadab’s rescue and a record stand
Pakistan arrive on the back of a one-wicket thriller. Chasing 242 against England, they fell to 154 for 9 before Shadab Khan finished unbeaten on 113 from 96 balls, with 13 fours and five sixes, sealing the win with 17 deliveries left. The innings was his first ODI hundred.
His unbroken 89 with Haris Rauf became the biggest tenth-wicket stand in a successful ODI chase, beating the 64 put on by West Indies’ Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts against Pakistan at the 1975 World Cup. Shadab was nearly out lbw on 97 with 20 still needed; Haris pushed him to review, UltraEdge showed an inside edge, and the call was reversed. After the match Shadab said recent form had been poor but he had kept working, and he argued Haris deserved “more credit than me” for the closing stages.
Squad tweaks and top-order questions
That scramble also underlined early batting problems. Saim Ayub, who managed six against England, asked to leave the squad to focus on domestic cricket and his batting. Sahibzada Farhan comes in as cover. A day earlier, left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Moqim was released, with the Pakistan Cricket Board pointing to the nature of Lahore pitches, and left-hand batter Maaz Sadaqat was added as cover for players with minor niggles.
Management wants more reliable starts from names such as Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman. Avoiding another collapse matters against a Sri Lankan side that has already shown it can win tight games.
What history and form suggest
The sides’ earlier meeting in this series went Pakistan’s way by 37 runs. Salman Ali Agha made 107 off 90, with nine fours and a six, and Shaheen took three wickets. Across three matches here Shaheen has seven wickets; against England on Sunday he became the quickest Pakistan fast bowler to 150 ODI wickets when he removed Tom Banton in the first over. He also has 20 wickets in seven ODIs at Gaddafi Stadium—four more would move him past Wasim Akram’s 23 at the ground.
In 161 previous ODIs between the teams, Pakistan lead 97–59, with one tie and four no-results. Pakistan skipped training on Monday after the draining England chase, while Sri Lanka used the nets at the stadium. With the hosts already in the final, Tuesday’s Pakistan vs Sri Lanka clash will show whether Shadab’s surge can settle the batting order—and whether Sri Lanka can clinch their own path to Saturday.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Series opener: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs; Salman Ali Agha scored 107 and Shaheen took three wickets.
- Earlier England fixture (Sri Lanka): Sri Lanka won by two wickets, strengthening their path toward the final.
- Sunday: Pakistan chased 242 to beat England by one wicket after sliding to 154 for 9; Shadab Khan’s unbeaten 113 and an 89-run tenth-wicket stand with Haris Rauf sealed it; Shaheen reached 150 ODI wickets.
- Monday: Pakistan rested; Sri Lanka trained at Gaddafi Stadium; Saim Ayub was released at his request and Sahibzada Farhan named as replacement (after Sufiyan Moqim’s earlier release and Maaz Sadaqat’s addition).
- Tuesday: Fifth league match — Pakistan vs Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
- Thursday / Saturday: England face Sri Lanka in the last league game if still alive; the final is scheduled for Saturday.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan pehle se final mein pahunch chuka hai aur ab Sri Lanka ke khilaf Lahore mein khel raha hai. Shadab Khan ne England ke match mein century bana kar team ko mushkil jeet dilayi thi. Agar Sri Lanka jeet gaya to woh bhi final mein aa jayega; warna England ki umeed baqi reh sakti hai. Ghar baithe fans ke liye yeh match combinations aur top order ki soorat dekhne ka mauqa hai.
