Pakistan chase 326 to win tri-series final against Sri Lanka
Fakhar Zaman scored 127 to lead Pakistan to a three-wicket victory at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets in the tri-nation series final at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to successfully chase a target of 326. According to The Tribune, the 326-run target is the joint-highest chased in an ODI tournament final, matching India's 2002 chase against England.
Fakhar Zaman scored 127 off 99 balls, including 11 fours and six sixes, to anchor the chase. He shared a 149-run partnership with Saad Baig, who made 74 off 75 balls. Arafat Minhas scored 61 off 31 balls, while Hasan Nawaz remained 37 not out to guide Pakistan to the win in the 49th over.
Earlier, Sri Lanka posted 325/8 in 50 overs after electing to bat. Kamindu Mendis scored 131, his maiden ODI century, while Pavan Rathnayake contributed 77. Avishka Fernando made 38.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Salman Agha each took two wickets.
The match recorded a total of 656 runs, which is the highest match aggregate in an ODI tournament final. This surpassed the 651 runs scored during the 2002 NatWest series final between England and India, as per Cricinfo.
Fakhar Zaman's performance marks his second century in three ODI finals. He is the only Pakistan batter alongside Saeed Anwar to score multiple centuries in ODI finals. He also became Pakistan's second-fastest batter to reach 4,000 ODI runs after Babar Azam.
