Pakistan opened their home ODI tri-series with a 37-run win over Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi on Sunday, riding on a magnificent 107 from Salman Ali Agha to post 305 before bowling the visitors out for 268 in 48.1 overs. Agha was named Player of the Match for an innings that rescued Pakistan from 32 for 2 and set up a total Sri Lanka chased bravely — through a 119-run stand between Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage — but never quite caught.
Pakistan 305/10 beat Sri Lanka 268/10 by 37 runs in the tri-series opener at Rawalpindi. (Graphic: NajamSports.online)
What Happened?
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl, and Dilshan Madushanka made that call look inspired inside six overs, removing Saim Ayub (7) and Fakhar Zaman (16) to leave Pakistan wobbling at 32 for 2. Babar Azam and debutant Saad Baig rebuilt with a 74-run stand — Babar passing 16,000 international runs during his 45, a milestone I covered earlier today — while Baig announced himself with a confident 39 off 40 balls.
Then Agha took over. He added 97 with Hasan Nawaz (37) and 64 with Arafat Minhas (18), reaching his hundred off just 82 balls in the 45th over with back-to-back boundaries off Asitha Fernando. But Sri Lanka finished the stronger side: from 279 for 6, Pakistan lost their last wickets in a heap to close at 305 all out in 49.5 overs, with Eshan Malinga producing a death-bowling masterclass of yorkers and slower balls for 4 for 46. Asitha Fernando took 3 for 59.
The Chase That Nearly Turned
Naseem Shah struck early, removing Avishka Fernando for 5, and when Shaheen Afridi dismissed Kamindu Mendis (44) and Sahan Arachchige in quick succession, Sri Lanka had slid from 66 for 1 to 91 for 4 and the game looked done. It was not. Rathnayake and Liyanage batted with a maturity well beyond their experience, adding 119 in 107 balls — Rathnayake racing to 79 off 74 with six fours and two sixes, Liyanage grinding out 60 off 74.
Janith Liyanage, whose 60 kept Sri Lanka in the chase — file photo, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Faheem Ashraf finally broke the stand, Rathnayake caught by Agha himself, and although Dasun Shanaka's 28 off 18 balls briefly rattled Pakistan, Shaheen (3 for 55) and Haris Rauf (2 for 48) closed the door. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 268 in 48.1 overs — close enough to know this series is alive, far enough to give Pakistan the first two points. In my preview of this match I backed Pakistan's depth to tell at home, and that is exactly how it played out — but the margin owed everything to one man's innings.
A Statement Century From Salman Ali Agha
Salman Ali Agha's 107 off 90 balls — 10 fours, 1 six — was the difference between the sides. (Graphic: NajamSports.online)
Context is what makes this hundred special. A few months ago Agha had lost the T20I captaincy, then lost his place and was sent home midway through the England Test tour. He went back to domestic cricket, piled up runs there, and tonight he played the innings of the match: 107 off 90 balls at a strike rate of 118.89, holding Pakistan together through the middle overs and then accelerating without ever looking rushed. Every Pakistan batter who passed 35 tonight batted around him. This was not a man playing for his place — it was a man reminding everyone why losing it looked wrong.
My Analysis
Three things I take from this game. First, Pakistan's middle order — for years their soft underbelly in ODI cricket — won this match. Nos. 4 to 7 produced 39, 37, 107 and 18 after the openers had failed; that is a new and welcome shape for this team. Second, the warning sign is real: losing five wickets for 26 runs at the death, against Malinga's yorkers, nearly threw away a total that should have been 330. England, who arrive in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, will have watched that collapse very carefully. Third, Shaheen led like a captain should — with the ball, in the big moments: his removal of Kamindu and Arachchige broke Sri Lanka's start, and he returned to finish the job. Naseem's 2 for 43 at 4.30 an over was the quiet strangle that built the pressure.
For Sri Lanka, the defeat carries genuine encouragement. Rathnayake and Liyanage — a 119-run stand under pressure, away from home — is a middle-order discovery worth building on, and in Malinga they have found a death bowler of real quality. Their series is far from over.
What Next?
Pakistan face England at the same venue on Tuesday, October 20 — a far sterner test of this batting order, as I noted when the cricket world was busy watching a very different drama at Gqeberha today. Sri Lanka meet England on October 22 knowing another defeat would leave their final hopes hanging by a thread.
Was this Agha's best ODI innings yet — and can Pakistan's middle order repeat it against England? Tell me in the comments — I read every one.
FAQs
Who was Player of the Match in Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI?
Salman Ali Agha, for his 107 off 90 balls (10 fours, 1 six) that lifted Pakistan from 32 for 2 to a match-winning 305.
What was the final score of PAK vs SL 1st ODI at Rawalpindi?
Pakistan 305 all out in 49.5 overs beat Sri Lanka 268 all out in 48.1 overs by 37 runs.
When is Pakistan's next match in the ODI tri-series?
Pakistan play England on Tuesday, October 20, at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Brief Scores
Pakistan 305/10 (49.5 overs) — Agha Salman 107 (90), Babar Azam 45, Saad Baig 39, Hasan Nawaz 37; Eshan Malinga 4/46, Asitha Fernando 3/59, Dilshan Madushanka 2/67.
Sri Lanka 268/10 (48.1 overs) — Pavan Rathnayake 79 (74), Janith Liyanage 60 (74), Kamindu Mendis 44; Shaheen Afridi 3/55, Naseem Shah 2/43, Haris Rauf 2/48, Faheem Ashraf 2/49.
Result: Pakistan won by 37 runs. Player of the Match: Salman Ali Agha.
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Sources: Match scorecard (Sportradar), Dawn and NDTV Sports match reports, October 18, 2026.