Pakistan lifted the ODI tri-series trophy in Lahore on Saturday, chasing down a target of 326 to beat Sri Lanka by three wickets with nine balls to spare. The hosts finished on 331 for 7 in 48.3 overs after Sri Lanka had posted 325 for 8, and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi sealed the win with a six over midwicket.

The chase had looked in trouble early. Pakistan slipped to 14 for 2 before Fakhar Zaman and Saad Baig rebuilt the innings with a stand of 149, steadying the home side and keeping the required rate within reach as the Lahore crowd found its voice.

Fakhar leads, Minhas finishes

Fakhar was the backbone of the reply, scoring 127 from 99 balls for his 12th one-day international hundred. Baig added 74, and when the game tightened again, Arafat Minhas changed it with 61 from just 31 balls. His hitting, alongside Hasan Nawaz, broke Sri Lanka's grip and left Afridi to finish the job in the penultimate over.

Sri Lanka had earlier been carried by a maiden one-day hundred from Kamindu Mendis, who made 131 from 128 balls. He shared a 146-run third-wicket stand with Pavan Rathnayake, who scored 77, and at 255 for 2 after 41 overs Sri Lanka looked set for far more. Instead they lost five wickets for 28 runs, with Shaheen, Salman Ali Agha, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah taking two wickets each.

A home trophy with a young core

The win gives Pakistan a home trophy in front of their own supporters and underlines the depth of a side that found match-winners beyond its senior names. For Sri Lanka, Kamindu's century was a bright individual story, but a collapse at the death cost them a total that had promised to be match-winning.