Pakistan posted a competitive total of 305 for nine in 50 overs against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the 2026 ODI Tri-Nation Series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after being asked to bat first.
Salman Ali Agha led Pakistan’s batting effort with a brilliant century, scoring 107 off 90 balls, including 10 fours and a six. Agha played a crucial role in stabilising Pakistan’s innings and accelerating the scoring rate during the middle and final stages of the innings. He also shared a vital sixth-wicket partnership of 100 runs with Arafat Minhas, which helped Pakistan cross the 300-run mark and put pressure on the Sri Lankan side.
Pakistan will now look to defend the total and secure a winning start to the tri-nation tournament, which also features England. Pakistan lost three wickets against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tri-nation ODI series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
After Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field first, Pakistan lost their opening wicket at 23 runs when Saim Ayub was dismissed for seven. Fakhar Zaman followed after scoring 16 runs.
Pakistan’s third wicket fell at 106 runs, with Babar Azam returning to the pavilion after contributing 45 runs. Speaking at the toss, Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi said the pitch was fresh and added that his team would have opted to bat first even if they had won the toss. He expressed confidence that Pakistan could post a total of 300 runs.
Shaheen also confirmed that wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig was making his ODI international debut in the match.
Pakistan’s playing XI includes captain Shaheen Afridi, Saad Baig, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Hassan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. The tri-nation ODI series features Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England.