Pakistan clinched the T20 tri-series title with a convincing win, thanks to their spinners, who starred in a six-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in Saturday's final. Pakistan's captain, Salman Ali Agha, won the toss and elected to bat first, a move that paid off. The spinners restricted Sri Lanka's batsmen, giving the hosts a clear advantage in the match.
Sri Lanka got off to a good start, hitting 81 for one at the midpoint, with Kamil Mishara playing a steady innings. Mishara made a well-played 59 from 47 balls and had a 64-run opening partnership with Kusal Mendis, setting things up nicely. But when Pakistan brought on their spinners, everything changed. Sri Lanka went from being in charge to falling apart, losing their last eight wickets for only 16 runs and getting bowled out for 114 in just 19.1 overs.
Things changed in the 11th over when Mohammad Nawaz made an impact right away. Babar Azam caught Mendis near the boundary, which led to a quick collapse. Mishara, after reaching his half-century in 37 balls, attempted to speed things up, but Babar caught him with a great diving catch, putting Sri Lanka at 98 for three by the 14th over.
The spinners then really put the pressure on. Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed got two wickets in one over, and Babar took another great catch, sending Pavan Rathnayake back for 8. Sri Lanka's troubles got worse when Kusal Perera had another bad game, getting caught out by Usman Khan after scoring only one run. Nawaz finished off a great tournament by getting Janith Liyanage and Wanindu Hasaranga out cheaply. He ended up with 10 wickets, the most in the tri-series. Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi came back to finish things off, taking three late wickets and showing just how good Pakistan's bowling was as a whole.
Pakistan started strong in their chase of 115, even though they played it safe at first. The opening pair, Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, put up 46 runs for the first wicket and got things going. Ayub went after Maheesh Theekshana, hitting three 4s in one over during the power play.
Right after that, Farhan greeted Hasaranga with a six and then a four.
Sri Lanka made a little noise when Eshan Malinga got Farhan out with a ball that cut back fast. Then, Hasaranga got Ayub leg-before with a low skidder. Rathnayake also grabbed two quick wickets, sending Agha and Fakhar Zaman back-to-back. For a moment, the chase felt a bit tight.
Even with those few problems, the Pakistan team stayed calm because Babar Azam was there. The former captain kept the innings steady with 37 not out from 34 balls, nicely moving the score along and taking advantage of foul balls. Knowing they were close to winning, Babar steered Dushmantha Chameera past third man for four, winning the match with eight balls left.
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