Salman Ali Agha’s sublime century and Haris Rauf’s fiery four-wicket spell guided Pakistan to a thrilling six-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Chasing a daunting 300-run target, Sri Lanka fought valiantly but were restricted to 293-9 in their allotted 50 overs, despite a spirited half-century from Wanindu Hasaranga, who nearly pulled off a sensational chase before falling in the penultimate over.
Hasaranga top-scored for the visitors with a fluent 59 off 52 balls, striking seven fours, while contributions from Sadeera Samarawickrama (39), Kamil Mishara (38), and Charith Asalanka (32) kept the chase alive. However, Pakistan’s pacers held their nerve under pressure.
Haris Rauf was the star of Pakistan’s bowling attack, producing crucial breakthroughs at decisive moments. His 4-61 tore through the Lankan top order after their brisk start. Supporting him, Naseem Shah (2-55) and Faheem Ashraf (2-49) delivered timely strikes, while M Nawaz chipped in with one wicket. Sri Lanka began brightly as openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara stitched an 85-run partnership in just over 11 overs, taking full advantage of Pakistan’s wayward new-ball spell. But Haris Rauf’s introduction turned the game on its head, dismissing Mishara and Kusal Mendis off successive deliveries and then removing Nissanka to reduce the visitors from 85-0 to 90-3.
Earlier, Pakistan recovered from early jitters to post a competitive total of 299-5 after being put into bat. The innings was anchored by a magnificent unbeaten 105 off 87 balls from Salman Ali Agha, featuring nine fours, alongside a crucial 62 off 63 by Hussain Talat.
After a shaky start that saw Pakistan slip to 95-4, with Babar Azam (29), Fakhar Zaman (32), Saim Ayub (6), and M Rizwan (5) falling cheaply, Agha and Talat orchestrated a remarkable 138-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Their fluent stroke play and measured aggression steadied the innings and shifted momentum back to Pakistan. In the final overs, M Nawaz provided the perfect finishing touch, smashing a rapid 36 off just 23 balls, helping Pakistan collect 59 runs in the last five overs and set Sri Lanka a challenging total. For the visitors, Wanindu Hasaranga stood out with the ball as well, claiming 3-54, while Asitha Fernando and Maheesh Theekshana took a wicket apiece. Pakistan now lead the three-match series 1–0, with the second ODI to be played on Friday.
