Salman Ali Agha Century Helps Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka by 37 Runs
Pakistan post 305 all out in Rawalpindi, then Sri Lanka lose four wickets in four balls after two costly shots in the tri-series opener
By AXY Pakistan Desk ·
Key points
- Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the tri-series ODI opener at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 18, 2026.
- Salman Ali Agha scored 107 off 90 balls, his third ODI century, to help Pakistan reach 305 all out in 49.5 overs.
- Sri Lanka lost four wickets in four balls after Liyanage and Shanaka both hit shots to long-on, after a 119-run partnership had put them in control.
- Dew made the outfield and ball slick, reducing Pakistan's ability to extract reverse swing from the old ball.
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the opening One-day International (ODI) of the tri-series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday night, October 18, 2026, according to a match report published by Dawn. Salman Ali Agha scored a composed 107 off 90 balls, including 10 fours and a six, as Pakistan were all out for 305 in 49.5 overs. Sri Lanka had been well placed in the chase before losing four wickets in four balls, a collapse the report attributes to two shots played with poor judgement.
The result matters because it sets the early tone for a three-team series in which every match carries weight in the standings. It also shows how quickly a limited-overs match can turn, and how much the conditions in an evening game can shape both the batting and the bowling. To understand the finish, it helps to know how the format works and what the match-day conditions were.
Background: The Format and the Tournament
An ODI is a one-day international, a form of cricket in which each side bats for up to 50 overs. An over is a set of six legal deliveries bowled from one end of the pitch. Teams usually have a set number of overs to score their runs, and the batting side must keep pace with the required scoring rate or risk running out of overs with wickets still to lose. ODIs sit between Test cricket, the longest format, which is played over up to five days, and Twenty20, a shorter format with about 20 overs per side.
A tri-series is a tournament in which three national teams play each other in a set schedule. Results from each match feed into a points table, so an opening win can give a team an advantage in the race for the final. Opening matches are often watched closely for that reason, but they also carry the risk of an early setback that can affect morale and team selection for later games.
The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is one of Pakistan's main international venues and is located in Rawalpindi, a city in the northern part of the country. Matches there are often played under lights in the evening, when conditions can change as the night goes on, particularly for the second innings.
Sri Lanka Cruise in the Chase
Sri Lanka's reply began with real momentum. Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage put together a 119-run partnership, and at one stage only 53 runs stood between the visitors and a flying start. The report describes Liyanage as looking composed throughout his innings, and the stand gave Sri Lanka control of the chase at a time when Pakistan were searching for a breakthrough.
A partnership of that size is important in ODI cricket because it allows a team to keep the required rate under control while preserving wickets for the late overs. Two batters who can rotate the strike, which means keeping the scoreboard moving by running singles and twos, often put their side in a position where a few lapses can be more costly than a steady run of play. That was the situation Sri Lanka appeared to be in before the collapse.
The conditions were central to the story. The Dawn report says that dew settled on the Rawalpindi outfield on Sunday night and made it relentlessly slick. Dew is moisture that forms on grass and surfaces as temperatures fall in the evening. It can make the ball wet and difficult to grip, which affects bowlers more than batters because bowlers rely on a dry surface and a firm grip to control swing, seam and spin.
The same conditions also removed one of Pakistan's usual options. Fast bowlers often seek reverse swing with an older ball, which has become rough on one side and smooth on the other. Reverse swing causes the ball to move in the opposite direction to conventional swing, and it is most useful in the later overs of an innings. According to the report, the dew deprived Pakistan's pacers of the chance to extract that movement from the old ball, leaving them with fewer ways to threaten Sri Lanka's batters.
Two Shots and a Collapse
The turning point came within a short period. Liyanage, who had been in control, chipped Haris Rauf casually to Babar Azam at long-on. Long-on is a fielding position on the boundary, behind and to the side of the bowler, where a mis-hit shot often ends up. Shortly afterwards, Dasun Shanaka, who had threatened to take the game away from Pakistan, heaved Shaheen Shah Afridi to the same fielder in the same position. The report describes this as four balls in which Sri Lanka unravelled.
The collapse continued. Naseem Shah had Sachindu Colombage caught behind, meaning the batter edged the ball to the wicketkeeper or a slip fielder. Eshan Malinga was run out after a mix-up between the batters, a dismissal that happens when one batter is left short of the crease while the other has already run. Haris then cleaned up Asitha Fernando, sending his stumps flying and completing a 37-run win for Pakistan.
When a team loses several wickets in a short span, the result can be decisive even if the target remains within reach on paper. The pressure of needing runs quickly can push batters to take risks, and risky shots can produce the very dismissals that turn a chase into a collapse. The report suggests that is exactly what happened here, with two costly shots deciding a match that Sri Lanka had been controlling.
Salman Ali Agha's Third ODI Century
Pakistan's total was built around Salman Ali Agha, who was playing his third ODI century. The report notes that he was celebrating his return to the national side after being dropped from the Test team two months earlier. Test selection is separate from limited-overs selection, so a return to the one-day side after a Test omission can carry both personal and professional significance for a player.
Pakistan lost early wickets, with openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub falling to Dilshan Madushanka. Babar Azam and Saad Baig then steadied the innings with a 74-run stand for the third wicket. Eshan Malinga broke through by dismissing Babar for 45 and Saad for 39, which brought Salman and Hasan Nawaz together. The pair added 97 runs.
Salman settled in before gradually increasing the tempo. He reached his half-century in the 35th over by rotating the strike and punishing loose deliveries. Hasan Nawaz then supplied acceleration with two sixes off Sachindu Colombage, including a powerful slog sweep over cow corner, a shot played across the line of the ball to the area behind square on the leg side. Salman then took charge, pulling Dasun Shanaka through the leg side and launching Malinga's slower delivery over long-off for six.
He reached three figures in the 45th over, finding the boundary through deep midwicket before edging a full delivery past the infield to third man. The report says he finished with 10 fours and a six, and his innings was a reminder of how an early start can be followed by a sharp increase in scoring when a batter has been set. Salman departed for 107 at 279 for 6, mistiming a lofted shot to Shanaka at long-on.
Pakistan's Late Fightback With the Ball
Sri Lanka's reply was not all about Pakistan's defeat. After Salman's dismissal, Malinga dismissed Faheem Ashraf and trapped Naseem Shah leg before wicket, usually shortened to lbw, in the next over. An lbw dismissal occurs when the ball would have hit the stumps but was stopped by the batter's pad. Accurate yorkers, which are full, fast deliveries aimed at the base of the stumps, restricted Pakistan's lower order.
The Dawn report says Sri Lanka's bowlers conceded only 36 runs in the last five overs while taking five wickets in that spell. Malinga finished with figures of 4-46. Pakistan's innings ended in the final over when Haris Rauf was run out for a duck, meaning he was dismissed without scoring. Pakistan were all out for 305 in 49.5 overs, a total that appeared to be well within Sri Lanka's reach at the halfway stage of the chase.
Dew, the Old Ball and Why Conditions Mattered
Dew is one of the most significant environmental factors in evening cricket, particularly in South Asia, where night matches are common and humidity can be high. Moisture on the outfield and on the ball can make it harder for bowlers to grip, which reduces the effectiveness of swing and spin and can make it easier for batters to play strokes through the field. Teams batting second often benefit in these conditions, because the bowling side has to work harder to control the ball.
In this match, the report says the wetter ball made life difficult for Pakistan's bowlers during Sri Lanka's reply. Shaheen and Naseem had made early inroads, reducing the visitors to 91 for 4. But as the ball and outfield grew wetter, Pakistan's bowlers struggled to make the ball grip. Rathnayake and Liyanage rebuilt the innings with patience and calculated aggression. Rathnayake raised his maiden ODI half-century with a single off Arafat Minhas in the 31st over, and he pulled two short balls from Shaheen over square leg in successive deliveries. Liyanage offered stability at the other end, rotating the strike and punishing anything loose.
Rathnayake was eventually dismissed in the 38th over, having faced 74 deliveries, when he pushed a length ball straight to Salman at short cover. Shanaka then attacked immediately, pulling Faheem Ashraf for four, driving through extra cover, and launching Arafat over square leg for six. Liyanage brought up his half-century with a fierce drive down the ground. With 82 runs needed from the final 10 overs, Sri Lanka still had a genuine chance of pulling off the chase.
The conditions therefore worked in both directions. Dew helped Sri Lanka's batters build their partnership and made Pakistan's bowling harder to control, but it also made the outfield and ball harder to handle in the later stages. The two shots that followed were played in a match where the balance had shifted towards the batting side, which made the margin for error very small.
What the Result Means for the Tri-Series
The win gives Pakistan a winning start to the tri-series. In a multi-team tournament, an opening result can affect confidence, selection decisions and the balance of later fixtures, especially when points and qualification depend on the overall standings. Pakistan will be looking to build on the lower-order control shown in the closing overs, while also seeking more consistent stability in the middle order.
For Sri Lanka, the match highlights a familiar pattern in limited-overs cricket: a strong partnership can be undone quickly by poor shot selection in the final stages. The loss will prompt questions about how the batters manage risk when the required rate rises and wickets fall in a cluster. For Pakistan, the innings showed how one well-judged century can anchor a total even after an early setback, and how a late bowling spell can keep a score within the limits of a defendable total.
Salman Ali Agha's return to the one-day side, which followed his omission from the Test team, may also be seen as a test of whether he can maintain form across formats. Selection decisions in cricket often depend on consistency over several matches, so a single century is a strong statement but not the end of the conversation.
Analysts are likely to watch the next matches for signs of how both teams respond. Pitch and weather conditions, particularly dew in evening fixtures, are expected to remain important factors, especially for the team batting second. Fans will also be watching whether Sri Lanka can avoid the late collapse that cost them here, and whether Pakistan can convert a strong start into a sustained run of results. For now, the opening match shows how quickly a chase can change when a set batter and a rebuilding partnership are broken by two moments of poor judgement.
Topics: Pakistan cricket, Sri Lanka cricket, Salman Ali Agha, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, One-day International, Tri-series, Babar Azam, Eshan Malinga
Sources: Dawn
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