Pakistan opened the tri-series featuring England with a hard-fought 37-run victory over Sri Lanka on October 18, 2026, in Rawalpindi, overcoming a major scare sparked by a century from Salman Agha and a late bowling collapse.
Sent in to bat after Sri Lanka won the toss, Pakistan found themselves vulnerable at 74 for 2 after losing openers Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman to the extra pace and short-pitched bowling of Dilshan Madushanka. Babar Azam and debutant wicketkeeper Saad Baig steadied the innings with a 74-run partnership, keeping the scoring rate moving. However, Babar fell just five runs short of a half-century when he was late on a short delivery from Eshan Malinga, who emerged as Sri Lanka’s quickest bowler. Baig soon followed, miscues ending a promising knock as he holed out to deep fine leg.
At 4 for 103 by the 22nd over, Pakistan looked exposed with a long tail. Enter Salman Agha, who marked his return to the side following recent omissions from the Test team and the T20 captaincy by anchoring the innings. Salman reached his fifty off 48 balls and capitalized when Sri Lanka turned prematurely to Kamindu Mendis’ spin, taking 11 runs off the 25th over to shift momentum. He forged a 97-run fifth-wicket partnership with Hasan Nawaz, who contributed a six off legspinner Sachindu Colombage before falling to Asitha Fernando.
Salman then added 64 runs for the sixth wicket with Arafat Minhas, taking the lion’s share of the scoring. Although Sri Lanka struck back in the death overs as Malinga and Fernando checked Pakistan’s acceleration—dismissing Salman for 107 off 90 balls and removing lower-order bats—Pakistan managed to scratch past the 300-mark to finish at 305 all out. Malinga finished with figures of 4 for 46, while Fernando took 3 for 59.
Sri Lanka’s chase began poorly as Naseem Shah removed Avishka Fernando early, and Pakistan reduced the visitors to their top four with minimal impact on the scoreboard. However, dew began to settle in during the evening, and Pavan Rathnayake mounted a methodical counterattack alongside Janith Liyanage. The pair constructed a 119-run fifth-wicket partnership that placed Sri Lanka in a commanding position, requiring just 55 runs from the final seven overs.
Rathnayake targeted Pakistan’s bowling attack, even hitting captain Shaheen Afridi for a pair of pulled sixes. Aside from a tidy spell from Naseem, Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs. The breakthrough finally arrived when Faheem Ashraf induced Rathnayake into a false stroke after scoring 79, with Salman taking the catch at short cover.
With 53 runs still needed, Liyanage chipped Haris Rauf to long-on after making 60, triggering a dramatic collapse. Afridi removed Dasun Shanaka in the following over, and Sri Lanka lost their last five wickets for just 15 runs. Afridi finished with 3 for 55 as the visitors were bowled out for 268, securing Pakistan’s opening win of the series.
