Dilshan Madushanka's career-best ODI figures of 5 for 34 set up a dominant eight-wicket win in Lahore, as Sri Lanka snapped a five-game losing streak against Pakistan, and with it, secure a final clash with the same opponents. The result left England mathematically eliminated from final contention, rendering their match against Sri Lanka on Thursday a dead rubber.
Having skittled Pakistan out for just 110, Sri Lanka knocked off the target in 18.1 overs - the match itself lasted a total of 43.4 overs and finished not long after the floodlights had been fired up. This was Pakistan's second-lowest total on home turf, and their third-lowest against Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka are also responsible for their lowest total at home.
Kamindu Mendis finished unbeaten on 62 off 60 as he spearheaded the chase, while Pavan Rathnayake cut one away in front of square to wrap up the win; he finished on 23 off 26. Fortune too was certainly in Sri Lanka's favour, with Kamindu being dropped behind the stumps early by Saad Baig. Later, he holed out at deep backward square leg trying to reach his fifty, only for the fielder to tread on the boundary skirting after completing the catch.
That said, the two wickets to fall in the Lankan innings were largely against the run of play, as Pakistan struggled for penetration on a pretty placid surface. Avishka Fernando pulled a short one from Shaheen Afridi straight to midwicket, while Kusal Mendis made it two unlucky dismissals in two after a bizarre passage of play that saw his back foot defence off Arafat Minhas bounce forward before hitting the back of the bat at the top of the follow through and trickle back on to the stumps. Kusal walked off with a bemused grin on his face, but it's a dismissal he would not have minded all that much considering the stellar performance his side had put forward.
For Pakistan, Babar Azam top scored with 29 off 33, but only three other batters managed double digits as Sri Lanka's bowlers ran through the Pakistan batting. Sahan Arachchige, who has had a quiet series thus far, finally sunk his teeth into the contest picking up two wickets, while there was a wicket each for Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga and Dunith Wellalage.
But it was the lively Madushanka who caused all manner of trouble for the hosts, extracting menacing bounce on an otherwise decent batting track, despite clocking speeds in the mid-130s. It was just his second five-for in ODIs, his last coming against India in the 2023 World Cup. There he was among the tournaments top wicket-takers but injuries derailed his progress in the years since, so Sri Lanka will be pleased to see him returning close to his best in a World Cup year.
Fakhar Zaman was his first victim, a short one that reared up and saw the left-handed opener only able to fend to the onrushing point fielder. The left-arm seamer repeated the trick in his second spell, this time causing Arafat Minhas all sorts of discomfort with a spritely bouncer that popped up generously off the shoulder of the bat for Kusal Mendis to gobble up eagerly.
That second one brought to an end a burgeoning 27-run seventh wicket stand which would end up being the highest of the innings and had been shaping up to somewhat consolidate Pakistan's flagging innings. That partnership between Minhas and Hasan Nawaz saw the last two recognised batters in the middle.
Madushanka's intervention left Nawaz alone to battle it out with the tail, but if the fans at the Gaddafi Stadium had been holding out for a potential repeat of the Pink Sunday heroics, Nawaz proceeded to summarily chip a lofted drive straight to long-off. Pakistan at that point had lost eight wickets with just 91 runs on the board.
The soft nature of these dismissals were a common theme across the innings. Baig fell driving straight to short cover, Salman Ali Agha feathered an attempted dab through to the keeper, and Shadab Khan gloved an attempted sweep that limply dropped into Kusal's gloves.
Shadab, who had been reprieved on Sunday by a review that he was on the verge of not even taking, swiftly put his hands up asking for this one to be checked. Except that Pakistan were out of reviews.
Those reviews had come at the fall of Maaz Sadaqat and Babar; the former courtesy a searing inswinger from Asitha, the latter after Malinga nipped one back in from outside off. Both reviews produced three reds, and only served to rubber-stamp the dreadful day Pakistan were having out in the middle. Incidentally, Shadab's review to would have been burned had it transpired.
Madushanka picked up his fourth of the day when he had Haris Rauf edging behind, as Kamindu held on excellently at first slip, low to his right. It was the cherry on top of an exceptional Sri Lankan performance in the field, one that had seen players throw themselves about from the very start of the innings.
A pair of late blows from Shaheen Afridi gave the home crowd something to cheer about, but he eventually became Madushanka's final scalp, top-edging a hook down to fine leg.
It was a game in which Sri Lanka were in control from start to finish, and one Pakistan would do well to take note of ahead of their rematch in the final.