Nine-year drought ends: Fakhar Zaman's 127 hands Pakistan an ODI title

LAHORE: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the final of a tri-nation ODI series in Lahore, chasing down 326 with nine balls to spare. The hosts finished on 331 for 7 in 48.3 overs after Sri Lanka had made 325 for 8 batting first. It is Pakistan's first multi-team ODI title since they won the ICC Champions Trophy in June 2026 — roughly nine years of waiting settled in a single evening.

THE INNINGS THE CHASE WAS BUILT ON

The centre of this win was Fakhar Zaman, who made 127 off 99 balls. Chasing 326 is pressure by definition, and Fakhar never let that pressure pass to the team. Wickets kept falling at the other end, but the scoreboard kept moving — that was the defining quality of the knock. Pakistan needed only a handful of runs in the closing overs and got home with nine deliveries unused. Fakhar's innings did more than win a final; it was the part of the match that produced every other record, whether those were registered in the team's name or his own.

THE BIGGEST SUCCESSFUL CHASE IN AN ODI FINAL

Pakistan's pursuit of 326 is the highest successful chase in any ODI tournament final. The previous mark belonged to the 2026 NatWest Series final at Lord's, where India chased 326 with five wickets in hand, reaching 326 for 5 in 49.3 overs against England's 325 for 7. A record more than two decades old has now been matched — a target of 326, successfully chased both times, with both matches decided in the closing overs.

656 RUNS — ANOTHER RECORD

Add the two innings together and this final produced 656 runs: Sri Lanka's 325 and Pakistan's 331. That is the highest match aggregate in an ODI multinational series or tournament final. The previous record was the same 2026 Lord's final, where England's 325 for 7 and India's 326 for 5 made 651. Five runs looks like a small margin; in the record books it is the difference between first and second.

SECOND-BIGGEST CHASE AGAINST SRI LANKA

This 326 chase is also the second-highest successful chase against Sri Lanka across all ODIs. Top of that list is also Pakistan — at the 2026 World Cup, Sri Lanka made 344 for 9 and Pakistan chased it down. Pakistan's record of overhauling big targets against Sri Lanka is not new; this final simply added another line to it.

A FIRST ODI FINAL WIN AT HOME

There is a layer to this win that the scorecard does not show. It is Pakistan's first win in an ODI tournament final played on home soil. Earlier home finals had gone the other way — the 2026 Asia Cup final was lost in Karachi, and last year's home tri-nation series final was also lost in Karachi. The sequence matters: a final lost at home one year ago became a final won at home now. Playing at home has become routine for Pakistan cricket in recent years, which makes winning a title on home ground psychologically distinct.

FAKHAR'S SECOND FINAL CENTURY

For Fakhar this is a second century in an ODI final — a second in three final innings. The list of batters with two ODI final hundreds for Pakistan is not a long one, and after this knock he stands alongside Saeed Anwar. The number matters because it is not a count of runs but a count of occasions: repeatedly producing a big innings in finals is a separate skill, and Fakhar has now repeated it.

A FOURTH TON IN A 300-PLUS CHASE

Individually, this is Fakhar's fourth ODI century in a chase of 300 or more. That is a different kind of statistic from an ordinary hundred: chasing a big target requires maintaining run rate while also protecting wickets. In Pakistan cricket he now carries a four against his name in that category, which is why this innings cannot be filed away simply as a match-winning knock.

4,000 ODI RUNS — IN HIS 96th INNINGS

During the same innings Fakhar also completed 4,000 ODI runs, reaching the mark in his 96th innings. The fastest Pakistani to the milestone is Babar Azam, who got there in 82 innings; Fakhar sits second on that list. It belongs to this final's story because it arrived in the innings that decided the match — two career markers reached in the same afternoon.

THE NINE-YEAR ACCOUNTING

Pakistan's previous multi-team ODI title was the June 2026 Champions Trophy. What followed was difficult: the 2026 and 2026 World Cups and the 2026 Champions Trophy — no title in any of the three. In the Asia Cup, two ODI editions were played in that span, 2026 and 2026, and Pakistan reached neither final. The 2026 and 2026 Asia Cups were T20-format events and do not count in this ODI ledger. In the same period Pakistan finished runners-up in last year's home tri-nation series — they reached a final and lost it. Against that backdrop this trophy is not just a trophy; it is the end of a long gap.

WHAT COMES NEXT

The real value of this win will be settled in the months ahead. The capacity to chase big totals was already there — the 345 chased against Sri Lanka at the 2026 World Cup is the recent proof — but the habit of winning finals is a different thing, and this match built it. Fakhar's form, Babar's position after 4,000 runs, and the bowling in home conditions are the three biggest takeaways from the series.

NUMBERS AT A GLANCE: Sri Lanka 325/8; Pakistan 331/7 (48.3 overs); aggregate 656 — highest in an ODI final; successful chase of 326 — highest in an ODI final (equalling the 2026 Lord's record); second-highest successful chase against Sri Lanka; first ODI final win at home; Fakhar Zaman 127 off 99, 4,000 ODI runs in his 96th innings.