LAHORE: Pakistan will look to make home advantage count when they face Sri Lanka in the tri-nation One-day International series final here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, with both sides having experienced contrasting fortunes during the league stage.
The Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Pakistan will take confidence from their broader ODI record and their three-match series sweep against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi in November last year. But to claim the tri-series trophy, they will need a far more assured batting display. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will seek to carry their success at the Lahore venue into the final.
Pakistan, the first team to qualify for the title clash, will be keen to forget their humiliating eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in their last league match at the same ground on Tuesday.
Pakistan batter Salman Ali Agha, however, believes the outcome will depend on which side perform better on the day.
“The team which play a better game will win the final. We will try to give our best, and I am confident that if our players perform to their full potential, we can succeed,” Salman told reporters ahead of Friday’s training session at the Gaddafi Stadium.
When asked about Sri Lanka’s impressive ODI record (six wins and two losses) against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium, where the tourists had won their previous three matches, Salman reckoned that statistics would count for little once the two sides took the field on Saturday.
“Although it has been a good ground for Sri Lanka, you cannot declare any team favourites [only] on the basis of statistics. What matters most is how a team play on the given day,” the right-handed batter insisted.
Salman also pointed out that the pitches in Rawalpindi and Lahore offered different conditions, which had contributed to contrasting results during the tri-series.
TOP-ORDER CONCERNS ALLAYED
While acknowledging that Pakistan’s top-order had not come up to the expectations in the tri-series, Salman backed senior batters Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman to rediscover their form in the all-important final.
“Our top-order batting is not performing but both Fakhar and Babar have won many matches for Pakistan. Hopefully, they will give their best in the final,” he said.
“For me, they have been Pakistan’s best ODI players during the past 10 years and they will regain their form. Fakhar has always excelled in finals, and hopefully he will prove it again.”
Salman stressed that Pakistan would need contributions from the entire batting line-up to lift the trophy.
“All the batters have to score in the final if we are to win,” he said, adding that players should be given reasonable opportunities to regain confidence when they went through a lean patch.
“In international cricket, it is not easy to perform consistently. If a player is not performing, he should be given decent chances to regain his confidence,” he underscored.
On the demands of modern ODI cricket, Salman said that scores of 400 were still uncommon, while Pakistan generally aimed to post totals of 350 or more.“[Our] batters need to convert half-centuries into hundreds to help the team reach competitive totals,” he emphasised.
PERFECT GAME
Responding to head coach Mike Hesson’s recent assessment that Pakistan had yet to play to their full potential in the tri-series, Salman said that the New Zealander had consistently called for a complete performance.
“Hesson has always asked us to play a perfect game. It is true that we have not been able to produce that sort of performance in the tri-series,” he acknowledged. “Even in the matches we won, we had flaws in batting, bowling and fielding, and we need to overcome those.”
Salman also rejected suggestions that he did not take his cricket seriously, highlighting his decade in domestic cricket before making it to the national side.
“I [had] played domestic cricket for 10 years before coming into the Pakistan team. I am surprised when people say that I am not serious,” he said.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, opted to rest on Friday after their 55-run loss to England in the final league match on Thursday. The Islanders had nevertheless made a strong effort in pursuit of England’s 386-5 scoring 331 before being bowled out.
Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis was bullish ahead of the weekend.
“We are quite confident going into the final,” he said. “Although the loss against England was disappointing, we have taken some valuable lessons from that game.”
For Sri Lanka, batter Pavan Rathnayake has been in top form in the tri-series, smashing two centuries against England and 79 against Pakistan. Mendis was not ready to take the home team lightly.
“Pakistan are a very good side, and playing them in their own conditions makes them a challenging opponent and we can never underestimate them,” he said.
Pakistan began their campaign in the tri-series with a 37-run win over Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi before beating England by 87 runs. The hosts then edged England in Lahore. Their winning run ended on Tuesday when they were dismissed for 110 by Sri Lanka.
Pakistan finished the league stage with three wins and one defeat. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, recovered from their opening loss to Pakistan by producing a remarkable successful chase of 430 against England in Rawalpindi, winning by two wickets.
Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2026
