Pakistan batting 70 per cent of its potential is how batting coach Mike Smith summed up his side on Tuesday, after Sri Lanka bowled the hosts out for 110 in the one-day international tri-series match at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Sri Lanka chased the target down in 18.1 overs to win by eight wickets, a result that exposed Pakistan’s top-order problems days before the two sides meet again in Saturday’s final. Smith accepted the shortcomings in plain terms, while insisting the defeat would have no bearing on the title clash.
Pakistan batting 70 per cent: Smith’s assessment
“We’ve probably, even though we’ve got to the final, done really well, but we’re probably batting as a collective at about 70 per cent of where we need to be,” Smith said after the match.
Smith described the collapse as a mix of soft shots and good bowling. He said Pakistan failed to build momentum, and he added that the team would review its shortcomings with the batting group before the final. He refused to blame the Lahore pitch, saying teams needed to adapt to different conditions.
The coach also backed two players under scrutiny. He said he was not concerned about Babar Azam’s inability to turn promising starts into substantial scores, and he backed the senior batter to deliver when it mattered. “The hardest part of cricket is getting yourself in and Babar’s doing that incredibly easily at times,” Smith said. “The fact that he hasn’t got one big score, I think if he had turned one of those starts into a big score, no one’s saying a thing.” He also backed opener Fakhar Zaman, who fell for five in this match, describing him as a world-class player who could still produce a decisive innings in the final.
How the match slipped away
Sri Lanka’s left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka claimed a career-best five for 34, dismissing Fakhar for five in the fourth over and returning to finish off the tail. His previous best figures were five for 80 against India at the 2023 World Cup.
The rest of the card tells the same story. Maaz Sadaqat made eight, Saad Baig fell for five, and Babar’s 29 off 33 balls, including five fours, ended leg-before to Eshan Malinga with Pakistan at 61 for five. Salman Ali Agha made nine, Shadab Khan made two, and Hasan Nawaz made 17 as the collapse quickened. Pakistan slipped to 91 for eight before Madushanka returned to close the innings, with Arafat Minhas making 10 and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi striking two sixes in a 13-ball 15. Pakistan were all out for 110 in 25.3 overs.
Sri Lanka’s reply was swift. Kamindu Mendis and Avishka Fernando put on 50 for the first wicket in 6.5 overs before Avishka fell for 16. Kusal Mendis made eight before Arafat Minhas bowled him in an unusual dismissal, with the ball ricocheting off the batter’s bat into the stumps. Kamindu finished unbeaten on 62 from 60 balls, including eight fours and two sixes, while Pavan Rathnayake made 23 not out. Sri Lanka reached 114 for two, with more than 30 overs to spare.
The win secured Sri Lanka’s place in Saturday’s final and eliminated England, whose remaining match against Sri Lanka on Thursday became a dead rubber.
Sri Lanka’s response after conceding 430
Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling coach Ryan van Niekerk said his side had responded well after conceding 430 runs in their previous match against England, which Sri Lanka won in a record-breaking chase. “We had to bounce back,” he said.
Van Niekerk said the bowlers had focused on executing their plans more consistently, and he credited Madushanka’s short-pitched bowling for making his fuller balls more threatening. “He has all the skill sets. He swings the ball, he’s got a great bouncer,” the coach said. “When he bowls his bouncer really, really well, it makes his front foot really dangerous.” Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis praised the bowling performance, saying the team had executed its plans well.
