Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Tri-Series 2025 Final: PAK beat SL by six wickets to win T20I Tri-Series in Rawalpindi

Just formalities left now. Chameera to bowl the 19th over. After Babar Azam took a single off the first delivery, Usman Khan also took a single to leave the winning runs for Babar.

Fittingly, Babar hits a boundary, helping Pakistan seal the deal and beat Sri Lanka by six wickets to win the T20I Tri-Series convincingly.

Maheesh Theekshana completed his quota. Bowled a four-run over to finish with 22 for none in his four overs. Pavan Rathnayake with his second over. OUT! The part-time is delaying the inevitable here at the moment. After removing Salman Ali Agha, he dismisses Fakhar Zaman, whose slog-induced top-edge watch safely caught by Shanaka at cover. Usman Khan, the new batter, gets off the mark with a single. Azam gets a boundary and a single as Pakistan now just needs 3 runs to win.

PAK 112/4 in 18 overs

Pavan Rathnayake with his first over. OUT! A wicket against the run of play for Sri Lanka. Not much will change even with this scalp, as Pakistan is within touching distance of the tri-series trophy. Agha looked to smash part-timer Rathnayake but ended up hitting straight to Shanaka at covers. Fakhar Zaman joins Babar. 100 also up for the home team.

PAK 100/3 in 16 overs

Sensible batting from Babar Azam and Salman Ali Agha, who are not taking any additional risk and playing free-flowing cricket, taking Pakistan near the target. The last three overs have fetched 21 runs, seven from each over with Pakistan getting one boundary each over.

PAK 97/2 in 15 overs

Theekshana bowls a quick, quiet over, which gives just two singles to Pakistan. Hasanraga with his third over. OUT! Saim Ayub has to depart. Hasaranga gets his first scalp off a delivery that stayed uncharacteristically low in front of the wicket and there wasn't anything that Ayub can do to play that delivery. Skipper Salman Ali Agha is the new batter in at No. 4. He gets off the mark with a single off his second delivery.

PAK 76/2 in 12 overs

Change in ends for Hasaranga but no change in his fate today. A SIX to start his second over as well as Babar Azam clears the deep mid-wicket fence with a rather effortless pull. Nine off the over as we come to the halfway mark and the home team needs just 44 to win.

PAK 71/1 in 10 overs

Hasaranga has been replaced just after one over. Kamil Mishara replaces him in the attack. A couple of singles to start the over before Ayub pulls the short ball towards long-on for a boundary. Not a single dot delivery in this over as 10 runs have come from this over.

PAK 62/1 in 9 overs

Malinga continues. WICKET! Malinga, who was looking in good rhythm, cleaned up Farhan with the delivery that jagged back as the batter tried to play across. The Pindi crowd is on its feet, celebrating this week with a whole heart. You would ask why? Because it's Babar Azam time! Babar is greeted with a loud, cheerful crowd waiting for him. He gets off the mark with a single before Ayub hits a four, taking Pakistan past fifty.

PAK 52/1 in 8 overs

Sri Lanka's biggest hope, Wanindu Hasanraga for the first time in the attack tonight. SIX! Sahizada Farhan welcomes Hasaranga with a Six! Powerful hit from Farhan who stayed back and pulled it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum to start the over. FOUR! Pulled again, this time for a boundary. 12 from this over.

PAK 44/0 in 7 overs

Eshan Malinga to bowl the final over of the PowerPlay. Just a single from his over. It's not the dots which Sri Lanka would fancy now, it's those wickets. Till now, Pakistan have done extremely well to deny any early breakthrough. Soon, it might result in dropped shoulders of Sri Lankans if evasive actions are not taken.

PAK 32/0 in 6 overs

Change of ends for Chameera, who replaces Theekshana from the attack. FOUR! Length ball, outside off-stump, left Farhan a little uncomfortable but nevertheless a boundary off the edge. Just a single from the last five deliveries.

PAK 31/0 in 5 overs

Skipper Dsaun Shanaka replaces Chameera. FOUR! Fourth boundary for Pakistan, fourth boundary for Saim Ayub. He undoes a good over from Shanaka after getting a boundary off the last ball of the over. Seven from the fourth over.

PAK 26/0 in 4 overs

Theekshana continues. FOUR! First boundary for Pakistan in the chase. Dangling down the line, swept across nicely by Ayub to start the over with a boundary. FOUR! Good shot. Through the line this time, outside off, and Ayub peppers the off-side boundary. FOUR! Would have been plumb in front if not for the outside edge but it runs away for a third boundary of this over. 12 from this over.

PAK 19/0 in 3 overs

If Sri Lanka wants to put an iota of fight in this chase, they would need to get wickets in quick intervals. This has been a good start from their bowlers, who have kept things clean and tight. Dushmantha Chameera starts with a 3-run over.

PAK 7/0 in 2 overs

An uneventful over to start things off in the chase. Theekshana keeps it in the middle, looks to cramp the batters while denying them any room. Four off the first over.

PAK 4/0 in 1 over

Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan walk out for the 115-run chase for Pakistan. Maheesh Theekshana to start with the new ball.

Salman Mirza to bowl the final over of the innings. OUT! Done and dusted. Chameera fails to get any bat for his wild slog and he has been cleaned up by Mirza. A very poor batting effort from Sri Lanka after the Powerplay. Yes, the pitch became difficult for the batters but the application from their batters was equally poor. Pakistan would fancy their chances to end the game by the 15th or 16th over.

SL 114 all-out in 19.1 overs

Penultimate over to be bowled by Shaheen Afridi. WICKET! Skipper Shanaka falls after scoring just two off six deliveries. Afridi from around the wicket, bowls full and induces a leading edge off Shanaka, who looks for a flick. Fakhar Zaman plucks a hell of a diving catch while running backwards at short third, and the Pakistan camp is just elated. Hold on, the third umpire deems it not out as Zaman seemed to have grassed the ball while completing the catch. Zaman and the rest of the side are just way too furious with this call. OUT! It doesn't matter what happened in the previous delivery; Afridi cleans up the Sri Lankan skipper with a fuller delivery. This has been absurd batting from the Sri Lankans. WICKET! And another, third scalp for the left-arm pacer who finds the edge off Theekshana who was looking to scoop it. Two wickets and three runs from this over.

SL 114/9 in 19 overs

Abrar Ahmed ended his spell with an over which gave just one run to Sri Lanka. Nawaz has struck once again for Pakistan, meanwhile and this is a free fall of the highest order from Sri Lanka. Hasaranga clean bowled. Just four runs from the 18th over.

SL 111/7 in 18 overs

Mohammad Nawaz with his third over. WICKET! Sri Lanka are falling like a pack of cards at the moment. No one has any clue how to play spin as the ball is turning square at the moment. Janith Liyanage has been cleaned up by Nawaz for his second wicket. DROPPED! Wanindu Hasaranga is the new batter at No. 8. He cuts it late to Agha at first slip but Pak skipper fails to get the hold of it. Just two from this over.

SL 107/6 in 17 overs

Abrar Ahmed is back in the attack. WICKET! What is going on in Rawalpindi? It seems the Sri Lankan batters have suddenly surrendered against this spin attack. Perera looks to sweep but ends up offering a straightforward catch to keeper. WICKET! And another, Pavan Rathnayake finds Babar Azam at long-on. Four of the over.

SL 104/5 in 15 overs

Saim Ayub with his fourth over. WICKET! He finally gets a reward for bowling a tremendous spell. In-form Mishara departs after scoring 59 of 47. He looked for a big shot but couldn't get enough elevation, and Babar Azam completed a stupendous diving catch at long-off. Just two off the 14th over.

Kusal Perera is the new batter in the middle to join Rathnayake. Ayub completes his remarkable spell, registering figures of 4-0-17-1.

SL 100/3 in 14 overs

Sri Lanka are struggling to get boundaries against Pakistani tweakers. Mishara looked to charge down on a couple of occasions against Nawaz but failed to get a good connection. Another over with six off it.

SL 98/2 in 13 overs

Saim Ayub continues to be economical with the ball. Came into his third over and ended up giving just six from it. Sri Lanka quickly needs to counterattack as boundaries have dried up once spinners took the charge.

SL 92/2 in 12 overs

Mohammad Nawaz is in the attack. A quick double will take Mishara to his well-deserved half-century. A single brings Mendis to strike, who holes out straight to Babar Azam at long-off. Nawaz instantly brings a breakthrough for the home team. Pavan Rathnayake joins Mishara at No. 4. Five runs and a wicket off this over.

SL 86/2 in 11 overs

On the official broadcast, Rameez Raja says the "pitch progressively will become a difficult one to bat on" and backs Sri Lanka to give a good fight to the host team. Saim Ayub, meanwhile, bowls a terrific over to give just 3 off it.

SL 81/1 in 10 overs

Abrar Ahmed continues. Mishara in strike. A couple of dots to start the over. SIX! Ah, finally, a boundary for Sri Lanka. Pakistani tweakers were getting into the grooves, looking to build some pressure with the dot deliverie,s but this maximum has come in the right time for the visitors. Wide and three singles to finish the over as SL get 10 from it.

SL 78/1 in 9 overs

Spin from both ends as Saim Ayub replaces Ashraf from the attack. A busy over this for Sri Lanka as far as strike rotation was concerned. five singles and a double along with a wide fetch them eight from this over.

SL 68/1 in 8 overs

Abrar Ahmed to start the middle overs for Pakistan after the end of the batting PowerPlay. DROPPED! Mendis hits the ball with brute force and Abrar's reflexes weren't up to the mark this time. He also seemed to have hurt himself while attempting the catch. Just four from Abrar's first over.

SL 60/1 in 7 overs

Third over on the trot for Mirza. Clear thinking from Mendis, who wants to let Mishara take the maximum strike with the form he has been. SIX! And we get to know why Mendis wants his partner to bat more! Not much pace this time, too full, in the middle and he lofts it down the ground and gets the distance as well. FOUR! Short and wide, Mishara charges down and whacks it over backward point for a boundary which also takes Sri Lanka past the fifty-run mark. This is great reply from Mishara after the early dismissal of Nissanka. FOUR! Third boundary in a row, leg-byes down the ground this time. 17 off the last over of PowerPlay.

SL 56/1 in 6 overs

First change in the bowling attack from Salman Ali Agha. Faheem Ashraf has been brought into the attack in place of Afridi. Kusal Mendis, who got off the mark with a single off Afridi, starts with another single. SIX! Mishara is looking to punish anything that comes in his range. Full, in the middle from Ashraf and Mishara clears the long-on fence for a maximum. A good over for the visitors, 11 from it.

SL 39/1 in 5 overs

Salman Mirza continues from one end. A quiet start to the over, dot, single and again a dot. SIX! Back of the length delivery from Mirza, big wild swing from Mishara, gets enough connection and the ball sails over the fence at deep square leg. Seven from the fourth over.

SL 28/1 in 4 overs

Afridi back into the attack. Mishara straightaway returns to non-striker's end after taking a single off the first delivery. SIX! First maximum of the evening. Short from Afridi and Nissanka is a great puller of the ball. He stays back in his crease and deposits the ball into the cow corner. OUT! WHAT A REPLY, Afridi! Slower one, Nissanka failed to judge the pace, whacked across and was cleaned up by Pakistan's premier pacer. Top-tier cricket from Afridi. New batter Kusal Mendis comes in at No. 3. 8 runs and a wicket from this over.

SL 21/1 in 3 overs

Another left-arm pacer, Salman Mirza, is into the attack. Mishara has the strike after getting that single off the last delivery of the first over. After a couple of dots to start the over, Mishara went for a drive on the up, looking for a quick single off the third delivery. It would have been close in case of a direct hit, not to be this time, though. Nissanka managed to survive a yorker-length ball which was seemingly close to the stumps. A wonderful start for Mirza who gave just a single off the first dive deliveries. FOUR! And just as we type, Nissanka redeems himself with a boundary to finish the second over. Tad bit short from Mirza, Nissanka pounces on it, pulls it towards deep mid-wicket.

SL 13/0 in 2 overs

Shaheen starts with the short-pitched delivery, outside outstumps from over the wicket to right-hander Nissanka and the latter guides it to short third for a single to get off the mark. Shaheen then floats one it for the left-hander Mishara but ends up bowling a wide down the leg. He beats the batter to hit his thighs on the following delivery before bowling another wide down the leg. Mishara, still looking for his first runs, was surprised by the slower delivery from Afridi, who took pace off the delivery. FOUR! Finally, Mishara gets off the mark with a crisp drive of extra covers off the full delivery. A single to end the over as eight runs have come in from the first over.

SL 8/0 in 1 over

Ramiz Raja & Pommie Mbangwa -

"A whole lot of cracks, as you kind of expect, because this is what we’ve seen. My expectation is that first up, it might be a little bit sticky, as I look at it. There’s a bit of a sheen. It’s almost as if there’s a sheen trying to come out, but not quite there. Generally, up at the front, I think the batters are looking for what’s over-pitched and short. I don’t think you want to be trying to force any shots because the ball might not arrive early. So if you get in, then you can make it. And you probably want to be looking more square than straight early on, if the length is actually a good one. If one does hit the crack, you kind of have to practice forgetting stuff. With batters, they’ve got to kind of know… Don’t play the pitch. Yes, don’t play the pitch, play the ball. So assess first up, and then post that 160-odd, then you can go on with your game."

Sri Lanka openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara are out in the middle. Shaheen Shah Afridi to start things for Pakistan with the new ball.

We are just a few moments away from the live action. It's time for the national anthems of both teams, but before that, a minute of silence has been observed as a tribute to those who lost their lives in Sri Lanka due to Cyclone Ditwah.

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha(c), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan(w), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka(c), Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga.

Salman Agha: We are going to bowl first. It's not a typical Pindi pitch, it's 170 kind of a pitch. Hopefully dew will play a part. We want to play good cricket. If we do that, we are good enough to beat any side. If you start thinking it's a final, it can go either way. So want to treat it like any other game. When we start well in the powerplays, we mostly win the game. Shaheen is back.

Dasun Shanaka: Cold is not a big deal, we are used to the conditions. Pakistan are a good side. We got some confidence from the last game. We are ready for this game. Any team wants to feel that pressure. We need to nail the basics right, especially at the end of the competition. Anything beyond 160 is a plus, expect 160-170 on this pitch. I am a guy who always enjoy Pakistan. The security has been amazing.

Salman Ali Agha wins the toss for Pakistan and he elects to bowl first against Sri Lanka in the title clash in Rawalpindi.

“Pakistan cricket was famous because of fast bowling. But this guy made it famous because of his batting. There is a huge difference. Like what Virat Kohli did for India,” Azam said while speaking on the Crickwick podcast.

“Virat Kohli had someone around him who was a legend at that time. In the era he started playing in, he had VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, and MS Dhoni. So many big batters. But who was there with Babar? There was no one,” Azam added.

Defending champions India were handed a favourable draw for the 2026 T20 World Cup, in the tournament schedule that was announced in Mumbai on Tuesday. The biennial event will begin on February 7, with the Suryakumar Yadav-led in Group A, along with Pakistan, Namibia, the USA and the Netherlands. The marquee India versus Pakistan clash will take place on February 15 at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium. This will be the second instance where an India versus Pakistan World Cup match will be held in Colombo, after the Asian neighbours faced off in the Women’s ODI World Cup match at the same venue in October.

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Pakistan and Sri Lanka have played 26 T20Is against each other, and it's the Men in Green who lead in head-to-head, having won 15 games, while Sri Lanka have won 11 games.

Ahead of this Tri-series, Sri Lanka played the Asia Cup where they reached the Super 4 stages. Before that, they took on Zimbabwe in a 3-match series, coming out on top with a 2-1 margin. They also played a series against Bangladesh which the Lankan Lions lost 2-1

Ahead of this Tri-series, the last T20I series that Pakistan played was against South Africa at home which they won 2-1. Before that series, they played in the Asia Cup which was also in the shortest format, coming up short against India in the final. They also played another Tri-series ahead of the Asia Cup featuring Afghanistan and UAE and won the whole thing.

The last time these two teams met in the shortest format was on Thursday when Sri Lanka had to win the match to stay alive in the tournament. If they lost, Zimbabwe would make their way to the final due to a better NRR. Batting first, Kamil MIshara's 75 helped the Lankans post 184/5. Chasing, Salma Agha played a captain's knock of 63 but it went in vain as Dushmantha Chameera ran through the batting order with 4 wickets, restricting PAK to 178/7

Pakistan Squad: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha(c), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan(w), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Usman Tariq, Abdul Samad

Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Nuwan Thushara, Janith Liyanage, Kamil Mishara, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Pavan Rathnayake, Dushan Hemantha

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka and Asitha Fernando will return home from the Pakistan tour due to “illness”, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced on their X handle without specifying what the illness was. SLC said that the two players will not take part in the upcoming tri-series featuring Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. The board added: “This precautionary decision ensures they receive proper care and sufficient time to recover ahead of future assignments.”

This comes on the heels of reports from the Sri Lankan camp less than a week ago where as many as eight Sri Lankan cricketers were said to be scared for their safety and eager to return home after a suicide bombing in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, killing 12 and wounding 27 outside a district court building. At that point, the SLC had stepped in, and “instructed all players, support staff, and team management to continue with the tour as scheduled.” The Sri Lankan board had also issued a threat of a “formal review” in case any players or staff member ignored its directive and abandoned the tour.

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha (c), Usman Khan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga

The two teams have met each other 26 times in T20Is with Pakistan winning 15 matches as opposed to Sri Lanka who has won 11.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will lock horns once again in the Tri-series, this time with the silverware on the line. The two teams have met each other twice in this tournament, which also included Zimbabwe. In the two matches, Pakistan won the first encounter while Sri Lanka came out trumps in the second clash. Who comes out on top tonight? Stay tuned to find out.