LAHORE: Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the tri-series final in Lahore today (Saturday), aiming to end a long wait for their first-ever tri-series title on home soil.
The hosts have reached the final after winning three consecutive matches, including two victories against England and one against Sri Lanka. However, they suffered a setback in their final group-stage match, losing to Sri Lanka after being bowled out for just 110 runs.
Pakistan have previously finished runners-up in three home tri-series, losing to Australia in 1994, Sri Lanka in 2004 and New Zealand last year. They will be eager to break that record with a title victory in front of their home crowd.
Head coach Mike Hesson acknowledged that Pakistan have yet to deliver their best performance despite winning three matches in a row.
“To get three wins in a row was a good sign but I still don’t think we have played our best game yet,” Hesson said.
“Hopefully we are saving that for the final.”
Pakistan will also look to get their key batters back in form, particularly Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam. The two openers have scored 31 and 118 runs respectively in four matches.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will enter the final with confidence after demonstrating their batting strength throughout the tournament.
They stunned England last week by chasing down 430 runs, the second-highest successful chase in ODI history. They also came close to chasing England’s 387-run target on Thursday before falling 55 runs short.
Sri Lankan captain Kusal Mendis expressed confidence ahead of the final, saying his team had learned valuable lessons from their defeat against England.
“We are quite confident going into the final,” Mendis said.
“Although the loss against England was disappointing, we have taken some valuable lessons from that game.”
Middle-order batter Pavan Rathnayake has been among Sri Lanka’s standout performers, scoring two centuries against England and adding 79 runs against Pakistan.
Sri Lanka also have a recent psychological advantage after defeating Pakistan by eight wickets at the same venue on Tuesday.
However, Mendis acknowledged the challenge of facing Pakistan on their home ground.
“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.
The tri-series is also serving as preparation for next year’s ODI World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
