Pakistan Face Sri Lanka in Tri-Series Final at Lahore

Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in the ODI tri-series final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Saturday. The match starts at 1pm Pakistan time.

The hosts go into the final after a mixed league campaign. They began the tournament well, then stumbled badly in their last league match. Sri Lanka, by contrast, arrive in strong batting form. The final will test whether Pakistan can produce the complete performance their coach and senior players have been asking for all series.

A campaign of two halves

Pakistan started impressively. In Rawalpindi, they defended totals of more than 300 twice, showing that their bowlers could hold their nerve when the batting had given them runs to work with. They then secured a thrilling one-wicket victory over England, thanks to Shadab Khan’s maiden century.

That win should have built momentum. Instead, the last league match brought a sharp reversal. Pakistan collapsed for just 110 against Sri Lanka, and lost by eight wickets. The defeat exposed the same weakness that has troubled the side all series: a top order that has failed to deliver consistently.

The top-order problem

The concern starts at the top. Out-of-form opener Saim Ayub was sent back to domestic cricket during the series. Maaz Sadaqat, given an opportunity in his place, also failed to impress in the last match against Sri Lanka.

Fakhar Zaman has struggled for form, while Babar Azam has failed to convert promising starts into substantial scores in his last four innings. The middle order, featuring Saad Baig, Hasan Nawaz and Salman Agha, has also lacked consistency.

Pakistan T20 captain Sahibzada Farhan is expected to be drafted into the playing side for the final after replacing Saim in the squad. Farhan had to make a hurried journey to Lahore from Nepal, where he was taking part in a league. His inclusion would be a direct response to the top-order failures, and a gamble on fresh energy for the biggest match of the series.

What Salman Agha said

Senior batsman Salman Ali Agha said the team could win the final if they played to their full potential.

“If we play to our strengths, we can win the final comfortably,” Salman told a news conference on Friday.

He also expressed hope that the top order would deliver on the big occasion.

“Our top order is not scoring runs the way it used to three or four years ago. Tomorrow is the final, and I hope it clicks,” he said.

Salman also endorsed head coach Mike Hesson’s view that Pakistan were yet to produce their best performance in the tri-series.

“Mike wants a perfect game, and we have not played like that yet. But I hope we will produce that sort of performance in the final,” Salman said.

He defended his out-of-form teammates as well, saying both Fakhar and Babar remained among Pakistan’s finest one-day players.

“Fakhar and Babar are among the best one-day players. They have won so many matches for Pakistan. Sometimes things do not go your way in cricket, and I think that is what is happening with them,” he said.

Sri Lanka’s batting threat

Sri Lanka will be a difficult opponent. Their top order has delivered consistently through the series, with Pavan Rathnayake scoring two centuries and the top five batsmen all making valuable contributions.

They chased down a record 430 against England, the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history. They then showed their batting depth again on Thursday, responding strongly while chasing 387 against England in a dead rubber.

That form makes the challenge clear for Pakistan. With Sri Lanka’s batting unit firing, the hosts will need a major improvement with the bat to defend their title hopes and lift the trophy.

The selection question

Pakistan face a difficult task in selecting their best combination for the most important match of the series. The team have had two successive days of training since the defeat to Sri Lanka, and are expected to have worked hard on addressing their weaknesses.

Salman noted that conditions have varied through the series. The pitches in Rawalpindi were good for scores of around 325 or more, and Pakistan scored and defended those totals there. At Lahore against England, when Shadab scored a century, Pakistan should have won that match comfortably, in his view.

The final, then, comes down to a simple question. Can Pakistan’s batting finally match the standard their bowlers set early in the tournament? If the top order clicks, as Salman hopes, the hosts have shown they can defend big totals. If it fails again, Sri Lanka’s in-form batting line-up will be hard to stop.