Sri Lanka | Pakistan

A fine show by bowlers, backed well by batters Saim Ayub and Babar Azam, steered Pakistan to a comfortable six-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the tri-nation series final at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Chasing a modest 115 for victory, the hosts came home in 18.4 overs thanks to Saim (36 off 33 balls). Babar (37 not out off 34) played an exquisite cut shot through point off pacer Dushmantha Chameera for a boundary to complete a well-deserved victory. Mohammad Nawaz won the Player of the Match, as well as Player of the Series. “To deliver when the team requires you is very important,” he said in the post-match presentation. “I plan with the coaches and try to keep it simple because as a fingerspinner, you don’t have many options. So I try to read the game and bowl accordingly. Speaking on his batting, he said: “I try to see what the situations demands: to build a partnership or attack. So I try to play accordingly.“ Skipper Salman Agha was pleased with his side’s performance ahead of the Wo...

Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Saturday and appealed for international assistance as the death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 153, with another 191 people missing. The extreme weather system has destroyed more than 20,000 homes, sending 108,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported. A further 798,000 people required assistance after being temporarily displaced by the floods, DMC spokesman Pradeep Kodippili said. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake invoked emergency powers, granting him sweeping authority to manage the aftermath of the devastation caused by a week of torrential rain across the island. Kodippili confirmed that 153 people had been killed. Among them were 11 residents of an elder care home that was flooded in the north-central district of Kurunegala on Saturday afternoon, police said. Troops from the army, navy, and air force have been deployed alongside civilian workers and volunteers to assist with th...

Dushmantha Chameera held his nerve with a barrage of pinpoint yorkers in the final over as Sri Lanka defended 184 to beat Pakistan by six runs in a nerve-jangling Twenty20 International tri-series encounter at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday night. Needing 10 off the last six balls with three wickets in hand, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha (unbeaten 63 off 44) could only manage a single and watch helplessly as Faheem Ashraf (seven) holed out to long-on and Mohammad Wasim blocked the final perfect yorker. A packed house fell silent as Sri Lanka clinched victory and stormed into the Saturday final. Pakistan were reeling at 43 for 4 in the sixth over after Chameera removed Sahibzada Farhan (nine) and Babar Azam (zero) in the space of three deliveries and young pacer Eshan Malinga rattled Saim Ayub’s (27 off 18) stumps. From that precarious position, Salman and Usman Khan (33 off 23) launched a spirited counter-attack, adding 56 for the fifth wicket and keeping the asking rate in sight. Usman fell tr...

Spinner Mohammad Nawaz set it up for Pakistan before opener Sahibzada Farhan finished it off to the joy of a packed crowd at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. With Nawaz (3-16) weaving his magic with the ball, including two wickets in two balls, in the Twenty20 tri-nation clash, Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to 128-7 before romping to their target with 4.3 overs to spare in their Twenty20 tri-nation series clash on Saturday. Sahibzada led the batting effort with his sixth T20 half-century, hitting five sixes and six fours in an explosive 80 not out off 45 balls, as Pakistan eased to a six-wicket victory that made in two in two for the hosts, who beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in the series opener. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have no wins in two with the defeat following a humbling at the hands on Zimbabwe on Thursday. But it had seemed all so different at the start when skipper Dasun Shunaka won the toss and elected to bat with openers Kamil Mishara and Pathum Nissanka tearing into Pakistan’s bowling with the latter c...

Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam was fined for a minor ICC Code of Conduct breach during the third One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka on Sunday, according to the International Cricket Council. A brilliant bowling show from Pakistan and a laboured chase later saw the hosts beat Sri Lanka by six wickets to complete a 3-0 series sweep over the visitors in the third and final ODI at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Babar was fined 10 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 ICC Code of Conduct breach, which carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50pc of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points. View this post on Instagram “The 31-year-old has been found to have breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to ‘abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an international match’,” ICC said in a press release. One demerit point has been added to his dis...

A smile lit up Shaheen Shah Afridi’s face as he mentioned Pakistan’s victory against India at the Rising Stars Asia Cup. Addressing the post-match ceremony after his side completed a series sweep against Sri Lanka on Sunday, Pakistan’s One-day International captain hailed a good day for cricket in the country. “We’ve now won two consecutive [ODI] series,” said Shaheen, referring to the team’s victory against South Africa a week earlier, after Pakistan eased to a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI in Rawalpindi. “Today Pakistan Shaheen also won, and more importantly they against our neighbours … it makes you happy that all the youngsters performed,” he added when asked to comment on Pakistan Shaheens’ eight-wicket thrashing of India ‘A’ in Qatar. “Here [in Pindi] as well, everyone chipped in across the three matches, everyone played their best cricket which is why we won.” Pakistan’s bowlers set up the victory for the hosts after they shot down Sri Lanka for 211 before Mohammad Rizwan...

A brilliant bowling show from Pakistan and a laboured chase later saw the hosts beat Sri Lanka by six wickets to complete a 3-0 series sweep over the visitors in the third and final One-day International at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Pacers Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Junior (3-47) and left-arm wrist spinner Faisal Akram (2-42) starred with the ball before contrasting half centuries by Fakhar Zaman (55 off 45) and Mohammad Rizwan (61 not out off 92) guided Pakistan to the 212-run target with 32 balls remaining. It was Pakistan’s second successive ODI series triumph after their 2-1 win over South Africa earlier this month, with focus now shifting to the T20I tri-series featuring the hosts alongside Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. After Pakistan won the toss and opted to field, Haris, Wasim and Faisal struck at regular intervals through the innings, preventing Sri Lanka from building momentum at any stage. A flurry of crisp strokes on a batting-friendly pitch by Sri Lankan openers Patthum Nissanka and ...

Babar Azam finally ended his 807-day wait for a One-day International century, scoring an unbeaten 102 to lead Pakistan to an eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, sealing the three-match series with a game to spare. The former Pakistan skipper, under intense scrutiny after 83 innings without a three-figure score, struck eight boundaries in a 119-ball innings that blended patience with poise. He reached his milestone in the 47th over, pulling pacer Pramod Madushan to midwicket for a single, before collapsing to his knees in prostration and embracing Mohammad Rizwan at the non-striker’s end. The Rawalpindi crowd erupted, having waited long for this moment. Reaching the milestone, Babar equalled former opener Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI hundreds for Pakistan — 20 centuries. Rizwan played the ideal supporting role, remaining unbeaten on 51 off 54 balls, hitting five fours and a six. The pair added an unbroken 112 for the third wicket, guidi...

RAWALPINDI: After a day and a night of chaos, focus will finally shift back to cricket when Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in the second One-day International at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. The encounter — Pakistan’s opportunity to wrap up their second successive ODI series — comes after a turbulent 48 hours that threatened to overshadow the cricket itself. The match was originally slated for Thursday, but the schedule was thrown into disarray after a terror attack in Islamabad on Tuesday sparked understandable concern within the Sri Lankan camp. Reports soon emerged that several visiting players were contemplating abandoning the tour altogether. The uncertainty prompted urgent intervention from Pakistan’s interior minister and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who, along with the country’s top security officials, held lengthy discussions with the Sri Lankan delegation to assure them of their safety. By late Wednesday night, the situation had stabilised. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) rea...

ISLAMABAD - Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday informed the Senate that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir played a role in pursuing Sri Lanka that its cricket team should not quit its ongoing cricket tour to Pakistan in the wake of the terrorist attack in Islamabad.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has fined the Pakistan cricket team for maintaining a slow over rate during the opening One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka, held on Tuesday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

A counter-punching century by Salman Ali Agha and Haris Rauf’s fiery pace led Pakistan to a six-run win over Sri Lanka in the first One-day International at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night. While Salman’s gritty knock carried Pakistan out of deep trouble for the hosts to post an above-par 299-run total, Haris bowled a red-hot spell (4-61) to restrict Sri Lanka despite the visitors looking dangerous early on. Sri Lanka had cruised to 75-0 in the first 10 overs as openers Pathum Nissanka and debutant Kamil Mishara punished the Pakistan pacers’ lack of discipline. Both batters were also handed a reprieve each as Salman dropped Nissanka in the slips off Shaheen while he was playing at six. Mishara, meanwhile, escaped a scare when Haris Rauf failed to hold on to a chance in the 10th over. In between, the Sri Lankan openers hit boundaries on regular intervals with the Pakistan bowlers struggling to maintain consistent line and length in the first powerplay. But two overs later, Haris Rauf removed bo...

Three teams are chasing the last vacant spot in the ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final after South Africa, Australia and England booked their place during the knockout stage and finished top three in the league’s standings. India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are chasing the coveted spot with four points each; Bangladesh and Pakistan are out of contention and at the bottom of the standings with two points each, with the latter crashing out of contention after a crushing defeat by South Africa on Tuesday. How India can qualify (currently in fourth position; +0.526 NRR) India have two remaining matches against New Zealand on Thursday and Bangladesh on Sunday. If they win both, they progress to the semi-finals. Even if they win against New Zealand but not Bangladesh — which gives them six points and a total of three victories, they can still qualify for the semis. If India lose to New Zealand but defeat Bangladesh, they will be relying on England defeating the White Ferns on Sunday in order to make the semis. Losing ...

The Pakistan women’s team on Wednesday started training for the Women’s Cricket World Cup, in Sri Lanka’s Colombo, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. The Women in Green arrived in the Sri Lankan capital late on Tuesday as the tournament is set to start on September 30 in India’s Guwahati. The eight-nation showpiece will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from Sept 30 to Nov 2. However, Pakistan — under an International Cricket Council (ICC) hybrid model decided by the ICC due to political strains between New Delhi and Islamabad — will play all their matches of the event in Colombo. “The team on Wednesday participated in its first training session at the Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium,” APP reported. The session focused on batting, bowling, and fielding under the guidance of head coach Muhammad Wasim, APP added. Before the World Cup begins, Pakistan will play two crucial warm-up matches. Their first encounter will be against Sri Lanka on September 25, followed by a match against South Africa on Septembe...

Half-centuries by Towhid Hridoy (58) and Saif Hassan (61) powered Bangladesh to an exciting four-wicket win in the Super Four stage of the men’s Asia Cup against former champions Sri Lanka in Dubai on Saturday. Having been rolled over by Sri Lanka in the first round, Bangladesh got their act together after winning the toss and choosing to bowl first. Bangladesh required 10 runs off 10 balls with seven wickets in hand but the dismissal of Hridoy spiced things up. He was trapped leg before by Dushmantha Chameera in the 19th over, and Dasun Shanaka then struck twice in the last over to keep the contest alive. In the end, tail-ender Nasum Ahmed scampered a cheeky single to cover off the penultimate ball to see Bangladesh home. Their bowlers had set it up by limiting Sri Lanka to 168 for seven on a belter of a track and thanks to Hridoy and Hassan, Bangladesh crossed the line with one delivery to spare. Sri Lanka could have been bundled out for much less, but three spilt catches let them off the hook. In the end, ...

Sri Lanka won against Bangladesh with ease in their first Twenty20 International (T20I) encounter of the men’s Asia Cup 2025 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The Sri Lankan men’s side chased down the target in just 15 overs after restricting the Tigers to 139 in the first innings. Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka had won the toss in Abu Dhabi and elected to bowl in their first match of the Asia Cup. Bangladesh made one change to their playing eleven from their victory over Hong Kong, as left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam came in for the right-arm Taskin Ahmed. Bangladesh skipper Litton Das had top-scored with 59 as Bangladesh beat a spirited Hong Kong by seven wickets in their first match of the Asia Cup on Thursday. The eight-nation T20 tournament began on Tuesday with Afghanistan beating Hong Kong by 94 runs. Pakistan, India, Oman and UAE are in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Bangladesh form Group B. The top two teams from each Group will qualify for the Super Four stage. The top two teams will ...

Pakistan is set to host Sri Lanka for a series of one day international (ODI) matches in Rawalpindi from Novermber 11-15, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday. A day earlier, the PCB announced that it was set to host Sri Lanka and Afghanistan for a T20 International (T20I) tri-series for the first time from November 17 to 29 in Lahore and Rawalpindi. In a press release, the PCB noted that this would be Sri Lanka’s first bilateral ODI series in Pakistan since 2019, when they last visited for a three-match series that the Green Shirts won 2-0, with the first ODI in Karachi abandoned due to rain. “Sri Lanka’s most recent visit to Pakistan came in 2023, when they participated in the ACC Asia Cup and played against Afghanistan in Lahore,” the press release read. The PCB reiterated that the nation’s maiden tri-series will be held after the ODI matches, while the Green Shirts will host two ICC World Test Championship matches and six white-ball games against South Africa from October 12 to November 8....

Pakistan is set to host a T20 International (T20I) tri-series for the first time from November 17 to 29, according to a press release issued by the country’s cricket board on Sunday. Apart from Pakistan, the “three-nation tournament” would feature Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, the press release said. It added that the series was organised to “provide all teams with valuable preparation” ahead of next year’s International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka. Detailing its schedule, it further stated that the hosts would take on Afghanistan on November 17, marking the beginning of the series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It also mentioned that “will be Afghanistan’s first-ever T20I in Pakistan”. “On November 19, Sri Lanka will face Afghanistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, while the remaining five T20Is of the tri-series, including the final on November 29, will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore,” the press release said. Tri-series schedule Nov 17: P...

Green Shirts continued their dominant run at U18 Asia Cup 2025, hammering Sri Lanka for their second straight win

Sri Lanka’s top court on Friday halted a government move to acquire land in northern regions still reeling from the consequences of a decades-long civil war, 16 years after it ended. Sri Lanka’s north bore the brunt of the conflict in the 37-year-long Tamil separatist war, which was brought to a bloody conclusion in May 2009. Many among the Tamil minority lost their land title deeds during the years of displacement, and the area was also hit by the 2004 Asian tsunami. The Supreme Court order concerning nearly 6,000 acres of land came a day after UN human rights chief Volker Turk ended a three-day visit, during which he urged the authorities to return private lands still occupied by troops. The UN estimates that at least 100,000 people died in the war, with 40,000 of them from the Tamil minority killed by troops in the final months of the conflict. Turk also asked Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of war crimes and punish the perpetrators. Successive Sri Lankan governments have refused internationally backe...