Sri Lanka bowl Pakistan out for 110 to reach tri-series final as England crash out

Sri Lanka stormed into the final of the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series on Tuesday, bowling the hosts out for just 110 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and then chasing the target down with eight wickets and more than 30 overs to spare. The win also ended England’s tournament, leaving Sri Lanka to face Pakistan again in Saturday’s final at the same ground.

Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and chose to bowl, and his attack made the decision look inspired from the start. Left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka ripped through Pakistan’s top order, finishing with a career-best 5 for 34 in 8.3 overs. Fakhar Zaman fell for 5, Saad Baig for 5, Shaheen Shah Afridi for 15 and Haris Rauf for 1, while Sahan Arachchige backed him up with 2 for 24. Babar Azam, with 29, was Pakistan’s top scorer; Hasan Nawaz made 17. Four of Pakistan’s first five batters fell for single figures, their best partnership was worth just 27, and the innings folded in 25.3 overs.

Kamindu finishes it in a hurry

Chasing 111, Sri Lanka lost just two wickets. Kamindu Mendis led the way with an unbeaten 62 from 60 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes, and Pavan Rathnayake finished 23 not out as Sri Lanka reached 114 for 2 in 18.1 overs — 191 balls still unused. Avishka Fernando made 16 before falling to Shaheen Afridi, and captain Kusal Mendis was dismissed for 8 in unusual fashion, bowled off his own bat by Arafat Minhas.

A warning before the final

The result changes nothing about who plays the final — Pakistan had already qualified by winning their first three matches, including Sunday’s epic one-wicket win over England and a 37-run defeat of Sri Lanka in the tournament opener — but it ends their unbeaten run with a thud. It was Pakistan’s second-lowest ODI total at home, behind only the 75 all out against Sri Lanka in Lahore in 2009. For Sri Lanka, it was a different kind of statement from their record chase of 430 against England in Rawalpindi days earlier: this time they won it with the ball, and they did it with room to spare. England, who needed a Pakistan win on Tuesday to stay alive, are out, and their remaining league fixture on Thursday can no longer change the finalists.