This mini-tournament has been a welcome change of pace, carrying more meaning than your bog-standard three-match white-ball slog between two teams. And then there’s the gift of a final to crown the winners. This was an apt conclusion under lights in front of a packed-out Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, settled in the penultimate over as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets to win the tri-series.
Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan’s hero from the 2017 Champions Trophy final, was at the centre, crashing his way to 127 in a chase of 326. But plenty of work remained after his dismissal, and the new boys needed to stay calm. Arafat Minhas, 21, and Hasan Nawaz, 24, played it like old-timers, their partnership of 94 securing the game. Minhas and Faheem Ashraf fell with two runs still required, but Shaheen Afridi finished the evening with a wallop over the ropes.
Minhas was particularly brutal, middling four sixes on his way to 61 off 31 balls. Pakistan have got something special brewing, Minhas having decimated England with a six-wicket haul at the start of the tri-series. His left-arm spin was expensive here, but he made up for it.
With Sri Lanka setting a target for the first time in the series, Kamindu Mendis was the lead pulveriser in the first half, his 131 ultimately in vain. The left-hander had a Bradmanesque Test average a couple years ago after hitting five hundreds in his first eight matches, but he’s been waiting for a breakthrough knock in white-ball cricket. Seven years on from his ODI debut, he finally has a hundred in the format, more than doubling his previous career-best. He was helped by his in-form colleagues, with Avishka Fernando building an opening stand of 87, and the irrepressible Pavan Rathnayake joining Kamindu for a partnership of 146 inside 20 overs.
Rathnayake has had a cracking couple of weeks, and his half-century took him to 427 runs in the tri-series at 106.75, two tons against England to go with a healthy strike rate. His 77 left Pakistan looking lost on another flat one. They were reliant on Salman Agha’s part-time off-breaks for their first two wickets. With Rathnayake and Kamindu pushing Sri Lanka to 255 after 41 overs, Dasun Shanaka, so brutal in his side’s remarkable chase of 430 against England, was waiting for the final bash.
Yet Shaheen brought his side back, stopping Sri Lanka from going stratospheric. The left-armer went full to dismiss Kamindu and Shanaka; Haris Rauf went short for his two late wickets as Pakistan took six in the last nine overs. This was a target well within reach, even for a batting lineup bowled out for 110 by Sri Lanka four days earlier.
The chase called out for a Babar Azam special at his home ground but Pakistan’s most accomplished batter is struggling for runs, now nine innings without a half century. There was no unconverted start this time round, just a thick edge to a wide slip without a run to his name. Rathnayake juggled before desperately holding on.
Maaz Sadaqat had already fallen to Dilshan Madushanka after an errant drive, bringing together Fakhar and Saad Baig on 14 for two. Both are freewheeling left-handers at vastly different junctures, one making his way, the other nearing the end. Both clattered the ball at a similar rate, and Baig, hours before his 20th birthday, advanced to his first international half-century off 52 balls.
While Baig perished on 74 with a return catch to Maheesh Theekshana, Fakhar benefited from some iffy work in the field. Dropped on six by Madushanka, Fakhar – who reached three figures off 84 balls – was also put down by Theekshana on 69 and 106.
The left-armers kept Sri Lanka alive. Madushanka’s pace snuck past Fakhar’s swinging bat with 106 still required, and Dunith Wellalage’s spin beat Agha’s sweep. The game was even once again, boundaries disappearing for more than 10 overs, the drought only broken when Minhas thumped Shanaka through the covers.
With 46 needed from 30 balls, a 15-run over off Shanaka turned the game completely Pakistan’s way, Minhas’ power delighting the stands, Shaheen applying the perfect finish.
