Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the opening match of the one-day tri-series in Rawalpindi on Sunday, Hiru News reported. The triangular tournament also involves England.
Sri Lanka won the toss and invited Pakistan to bat. Pakistan were bowled out for 305 in 49.5 overs, with Salman Agha making 107 — the innings that decided the match. Babar Azam contributed 45 and Saad Baig 39, Hiru reported at 6.36 p.m. Colombo time, as the first innings closed.
Eshan Malinga was the best of the Sri Lankan bowlers with 4 for 46. Asitha Fernando took 3 for 59 and Dilshan Madushanka 2 for 67.
The chase
Set 306, Sri Lanka were all out for 268 in 48.1 overs.
The innings turned on one stand. Pawan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage put on 119 for the fifth wicket, a partnership Hiru was reporting while it was still in progress at 9.12 p.m. Rathnayake finished with 79 and Liyanage with 60. Kamindu Mendis made 44.
Pakistan’s wickets were shared. Captain Shaheen Afridi took 3 for 55, with Naseem Shah (2 for 43), Haris Rauf (2 for 48) and Faheem Ashraf (2 for 49) taking two apiece.
The margin is consistent across the filings: 305 against 268 is a difference of exactly 37, and the stated target of 306 is one more than Pakistan’s total, as it should be.
One detail is incomplete in both innings. The bowlers Hiru names account for nine of the ten wickets in each case — 4, 3 and 2 for Sri Lanka, and 3, 2, 2 and 2 for Pakistan. The reports list the principal bowlers rather than a full card, so the tenth dismissal in each innings is unattributed here; it is not a discrepancy between sources.
Where this sits in the tour
The triangular runs 18 to 31 October, so this was the first fixture of the tournament. It follows the three Twenty20 internationals played on 9, 11 and 13 October, and precedes a two-Test series beginning 9 November. Every match on the tour is in Rawalpindi, Lahore or Islamabad.
Sri Lanka went into the series without their first-choice opener. Pathum Nissanka was ruled out three days before the first match, not having been cleared to resume competitive cricket after a left hamstring injury sustained on the England tour, with Lahiru Udara called in as his replacement.
Not reported
The Hiru filings do not give a full scorecard, so there is no toss-to-close over-by-over account, no extras breakdown, and no fall-of-wickets detail — the reason the tenth wicket in each innings cannot be attributed above. Neither filing names a player of the match, gives Agha’s ball count, or reports attendance or conditions.
Nothing published in these reports says when Sri Lanka next play, or against which of the two opponents.
This is a single-newsroom story. A search of the other verified newsrooms, including the Sri Lankan dailies and ESPNcricinfo, returned no independent match report at the time of writing — the Sri Lankan sports desks had not filed by early Monday morning Colombo time.
