Sri Lanka Seal Tri-Series Final Spot With Eight-Wicket Rout of Pakistan in Lahore

Sri Lanka booked their place in the ODI tri-series final on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, with a commanding eight-wicket win over Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Chasing only 111 for victory, Sri Lanka reached 114 for two in 18.1 overs, finishing with 191 balls still unused.

The result sets up a rematch between the same two sides in the final on 31 October. It also ends England's interest in the tournament, with England now unable to reach the final.

Madushanka sets up the rout

The match was shaped in the first innings. Sri Lanka, having won the toss and chosen to bowl, dismissed Pakistan for 110 in 25.3 overs. Dilshan Madushanka led the attack with five wickets for 34 runs, his first five-wicket haul in one-day internationals.

Pakistan never recovered from a difficult start. Early wickets left the hosts under pressure, and Babar Azam's 29 from 33 balls was the highest score of the innings. Pakistan reached 61 for five in the 14th over, and although the lower order pushed the total past 100, Madushanka returned to finish the innings and keep the target to 111.

Every Sri Lankan bowler used took at least one wicket, with Sahan Arachchige claiming two, but it was Madushanka's control with the new ball and at the death that defined the innings.

Kamindu anchors a calm chase

Sri Lanka's chase began briskly. Openers Kamindu Mendis and Avishka Fernando put on 50 in the seventh over, putting the visitors firmly in control of a small target before Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi removed Fernando for 16.

Sri Lanka lost a second wicket soon after when captain Kusal Mendis was dismissed for eight, but there was no further alarm. Kamindu Mendis, unbeaten on 62 from 60 balls with eight fours and two sixes, reached his fifth one-day international half-century and guided the chase home alongside Pavan Rathnayake, who finished unbeaten on 23.

The winning runs came from the first ball of the 19th over, underlining how much time Sri Lanka had in hand. In a 50-over match, finishing the chase in 18.1 overs left 31 overs and five balls unused.

What the result changes

The margin matters beyond the two points. Pakistan had already secured a final place before this match, having won their earlier games in the series, so their defeat does not change their own route to the final. It does, however, change the complexion of that final.

Sri Lanka arrive in the 31 October match with momentum and with a bowling performance that exposed Pakistan's batting fragility on a Lahore pitch where 110 proved far too few. Pakistan, by contrast, must now address a batting display in which only one batter passed 29 and the innings lasted barely half its allotted overs.

For Sri Lanka, the win also ends a run of defeats against Pakistan in this format and gives them a second meeting with the hosts within days, this time with the trophy at stake.

What happens next

The final on 31 October will be a straight rematch at the end of a series in which Pakistan and Sri Lanka have now each beaten the other in very different circumstances. Pakistan's task will be to show that Tuesday's collapse was an aberration rather than a pattern. Sri Lanka's task will be to repeat the discipline shown by Madushanka and his fellow bowlers, and the composure shown by Kamindu Mendis in the chase.

England, winless in the tournament, are out of contention regardless of the remaining league fixture, which can no longer alter the final pairing.

Information only, not financial or investment advice. Match figures as reported on 27 October 2026.