Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Final: Time, XIs, Hesson's Big Call

Pakistan meet Sri Lanka in the final of the ODI tri-series at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Saturday, 31 October, with the first ball at 1:30pm Pakistan time. It is the second meeting between the sides in four days, and the third time in this tournament that the trophy will feel within touching distance for one of them — only this time there is no tomorrow.

Head coach Mike Hesson set the tone on the eve of the decider. Speaking to the ICC, he said Pakistan have not yet played their best game in the tournament — and that, he hopes, is exactly the point. "I still don't think we have played our best game yet. Hopefully, we are saving that for the final," he said. It is a bold line to take into a final against the one side that has already humbled Pakistan in this series. It is also, on the evidence of the last fortnight, a fair one.

How we got here: one win each, everything to play for

Pakistan and Sri Lanka have split their two meetings so far, which is why Saturday feels so finely balanced. Pakistan won the first, by 37 runs at Rawalpindi on 18 October, thanks to a century from captain Salman Ali Agha. Sri Lanka won the second, and won it emphatically: Pakistan were bowled out for just 110 in 25.3 overs at Gaddafi Stadium on 27 October, and Sri Lanka chased it down by eight wickets in 18.1 overs, Kamindu Mendis finishing unbeaten on 62.

That defeat did not knock Pakistan out — they had already qualified on the back of three straight wins — but it did two things. It sent Sri Lanka into the final at England's expense, and it gave Sri Lanka a blueprint: swing the new ball, attack the top order, and Pakistan's middle order can be left with too much to do. Pakistan's response on Saturday has to start with denying Sri Lanka that opening.

The final league standings tell the story of a tournament that swung late. Pakistan finished top with six points from four matches (three wins, one defeat), Sri Lanka second with four points (two wins, two defeats), and England third with two points after their consolation 55-run win over Sri Lanka on 29 October. England's win, built on Ben Duckett's career-best 167 and Liam Dawson's four wickets, changed nothing about the final pairing — but it did show Sri Lanka can be got at. England posted 386 for 5, and even though Pavan Rathnayake hit 118 off 77 balls and Kusal Mendis made 89, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 331.

Hesson's message: the stars are due

The most striking part of Hesson's pre-final assessment is its honesty about Pakistan's batting. No Pakistan batter is among the top five run-scorers in the tournament, and neither Fakhar Zaman nor Babar Azam — two of the greatest players in Pakistan's history in the top three, in Hesson's own words — has yet scored a half-century in the event despite playing every match.

Hesson frames that as encouragement rather than alarm. "It's been a pretty good couple of weeks. We have played some decent cricket without being perfect. To get three wins in a row without contributions from a few of our key players is a good sign," he said. "You are talking about two of the greatest players in Pakistan's history in the top three. I expect big players to stand up in big games. A couple of our key players are searching for that match-winning performance and there's no better place to do it than in a final."

It is worth remembering what Hesson has built since taking charge last year: 12 victories from 19 one-day internationals, including series wins over Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa. That record, and the World Cup in 2027, is the wider context for Saturday. Hesson has spoken openly about wanting to lead Pakistan to their first 50-over World Cup title since 1992. A home tri-series trophy would be a tangible step on that road, and a final is precisely where a coach wants his senior players to announce themselves.

The counter-argument is just as clear. Pakistan's batting has not been flawless even in victory: the one-wicket win over England on 25 October needed Shadab Khan's unbeaten 113 and a record last-wicket stand to rescue the side from 154 for 9. The 110 all out against Sri Lanka was not an aberration out of nowhere; it was the sharp end of a top-order problem that has run through the tournament. Finals do not forgive slow starts, and Dilshan Madushanka, who took a career-best 5 for 34 in that 27 October win, will be running in with the new ball again.

Full squads

Pakistan squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Razaullah Mashwani, Arafat Minhas, Hasan Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat.

Sri Lanka squad: Kusal Mendis (captain, wicketkeeper), Sahan Arachchige, Dushmantha Chameera, Sachindu Colombage, Avishka Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Janith Liyanage, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Kamindu Mendis, Kamil Mishara (wicketkeeper), Lahiru Udara, Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage.

Pakistan's squad changes during the series are part of the final's story. Saim Ayub was released at his own request to work on his batting form, with Sahibzada Farhan called up in his place, while Sufiyan Muqeem returned to domestic cricket and Maaz Sadaqat joined as cover. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, lost Pathum Nissanka to a hamstring injury before the tournament, with Lahiru Udara earning a first call-up as his replacement.

Expected playing XIs (to be confirmed at the toss)

Pakistan expected XI: Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha, Saad Baig (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Arafat Minhas, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah.

The one expected change from the side bowled out for 110 is at the top: Farhan, a specialist opener brought in for exactly this role, should get the nod alongside Fakhar in place of Maaz Sadaqat, who made 8 on 27 October. The wildcard is Abrar Ahmed: if the pitch looks dry, he could come in for Arafat Minhas and give Pakistan a second frontline spinner alongside Shadab.

Sri Lanka expected XI: Avishka Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (c, wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Sahan Arachchige, Dunith Wellalage, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.

Sri Lanka are unlikely to change the XI that bowled Pakistan out for 110 and won by eight wickets. Madushanka took 5 for 34 that day, and Arachchige, Malinga and Wellalage all chipped in with wickets. Why fix what dismantled Pakistan four days ago?

Three battles that will decide the final

1. Madushanka vs Pakistan's top order. The first ten overs are the final in miniature. If Fakhar and Farhan survive the left-arm swing and reach the first powerplay without losing more than one wicket, Pakistan's middle order — Agha, Babar, Hasan Nawaz — can build rather than rescue. If Madushanka strikes early again, the ghosts of 110 will be loud in a full Gaddafi Stadium.

2. Babar and Fakhar vs their own tournament. Hesson has publicly backed both men to stand up in a big game. Neither needs a reminder of what is at stake: a final, at home, against a side that has already beaten them, with a trophy on the line. One fifty from either would change the shape of Pakistan's innings; a hundred would probably win it.

3. Rathnayake and Kusal Mendis vs Shaheen's new ball. Sri Lanka's batting found its voice against England — Rathnayake's 118 off 77 balls was the innings of the tournament's final week, and Kusal Mendis made 89 alongside him. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan's captain and new-ball leader, has been the bowler Hesson leans on for early wickets. Whoever wins the first hour with bat and ball will set the final's tempo.

Pitch, weather and how to watch

Gaddafi Stadium has been a high-scoring ground in this series — 430 chased by Sri Lanka against England at Rawalpindi, 386 posted by England in Lahore, and 331 in reply — so a flat surface and a fast outfield should be expected, with dew a factor under lights in a day-night game. Chasing has generally been the preferred option at the venue, which makes the toss genuinely important: the captain who wins it will have a real decision, not a formality.

Weather forecasts for Lahore on Saturday point to a clear, dry day, with no rain expected to interrupt play — good news for a final that deserves a full 100 overs. The match starts at 1:30pm Pakistan time at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, and will be broadcast in Pakistan on PTV Sports, with streaming on Tamasha and Tapmad, following the pattern of the rest of the series. Fans should check local listings on the day for any late change.

For Pakistan, Saturday is about more than one trophy. It is about proving that the 110 was the exception, that the senior players can still own a big occasion, and that Hesson's faith — that the best game is still to come — was well placed. For Sri Lanka, it is about finishing a job they started on 27 October: beating Pakistan twice in a week, away from home, and lifting a trophy few gave them at the start of the tournament.

Either way, a full house in Lahore, two teams with one win each, and a coach who has promised his side's best performance of the tournament — that is a final worth clearing Saturday afternoon for.

Images: Gaddafi Stadium photographs via Wikimedia Commons, credited above, shown for illustration; they are venue photographs, not pictures from this series' matches. Expected XIs are predictions and will be confirmed at the toss.

Sources: ICC (Hesson pre-final comments, 30 October 2026); IPL.com (final points table and England-Sri Lanka report); Boundary Line Daily (full squads and expected XIs, 30 October 2026); ESPNcricinfo and Geo Super (series results and scores, 18-29 October 2026).