Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Live Score, Match 1 of England and Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan, 2026

On to the next one - The hosts have started the tri-series in fine fashion, and they will now gear up for the next game. It is just the start of the series, but Sri Lanka will look to bounce back quickly in their next game in order to avoid slipping further into the abyss. The 2nd match of this tri-series will be played once again in Rawalpindi, and it will be Pakistan taking on England on October 20, Tuesday. The match is scheduled to start at 8 am GMT, but as usual, you can join us sooner for the build-up as well. Cheers!

Player of the Match - Who else, but Salman Agha to get the accolade for his match-winning knock of 107 runs. Salman starts by acknowledging that every cricketer goes through tough times and says returning to domestic cricket paid off for him. He adds that the ball was coming nicely, and his focus was on building a partnership and putting pressure on the opposition. Salman explains that he didn’t want to take unnecessary risks, preferring to keep the scoreboard ticking at a run-a-ball. He concludes by saying he targeted the gaps in the field, which worked well towards the end.

Presentation time...

Salman's comeback ton proves decisive - After opting to bowl first, Sri Lanka did start really well with the ball, and Dilshan Madushanka got the Pakistan batters into a spot of bother. The short-ball ploy also worked nicely for the Lankans, and they kept on picking up regular wickets. Then came the stand between debutant Saad Baig and Salman Agha. Baig played a handy knock, but it was Salman who really showed his class. Last month, he was dropped from the Test side, but he went back to domestic cricket and scored a triple ton to regain his confidence, and it showed. His century set things up nicely for Pakistan, but the Lankan pacers made a late comeback led by Eshan Malinga's four-fer before Shaheen Afridi got a couple of boundaries away to take Pakistan past the 300-run mark, which was essentially a psychological advantage.

Middle-overs charge not enough for Lanka - Sri Lanka have never chased down a score in excess of 300 runs against Pakistan, and that unwanted record is still intact. It was a sluggish start with the bat for Sri Lanka as Kamindu Mendis did a decent job at one end and watched his partners fall one by one at the other end, before he too fell, short of his half-century. At that stage, Sri Lanka's hopes were all but gone, but Janith Liyanage and Pavan Rathnayake got together and piled on 119 runs for the 5th wicket. Rathnayake ended up falling cheaply after a fine knock, and Liyanage too fell towards the end as Sri Lanka lost their last 6 wickets for just 58 runs.

Pacers get the job done - With plenty of runs to play with and a bit of assistance with the new ball under lights, Naseem Shah unleashed a stellar opening spell, one that was backed up by his fellow seamers as well. Pakistan were cruising through and had the opposition reeling at 91/4. However, they had to be patient through the course of the next 18-odd overs as the ball became softer and the dew settled in, making it easier for the batters. Faheem Ashraf then came in and delivered the telling blow and Haris Rauf finished things up. Shaheen Afridi himself took three wickets, whereas the other three pacers picked up two wickets each, rounding up a solid showing.

Then hosts start on the front foot - Pakistan have sealed a fairly comfortable victory in the opening contest of this ODI Tri-series that also involves England. For a few overs in the middle phase of the chase, it looked like Sri Lanka would make a comeback, but it was only a matter of that partnership between Janith Liyanage and Pavan Rathnayake being broken, and once it did, Pakistan were alwaysfavorites for the win.

OUT! RAUF HITS TIMBER TO END THE GAME! Skiddy length ball, on the off-stump line. Asitha Fernando makes room to guide it down to deep third, but the ball zips through off the pitch and rattles the poles. Sri Lanka are dismissed for 268. Pakistan win by 37 runs.

Slower full ball at the stumps. Asitha Fernando makes room and drills it uppishly to deep cover for a single.

Slower length ball, around off. Asitha Fernando plays and misses.

Banged short, on the middle stump line. Asitha Fernando looks to pull but misses.

FOUR! How has that missed the stumps? Yorker length ball at the stumps. Asitha Fernando makes room to drive but ends up squeezing it past the left of the keeper for a streaky boundary.

Short of a length delivery, follows the batter outside the leg stump. Asitha Fernando backs away and gets a thud around the left shoulder.

Short of a length delivery, around off. Asitha Fernando looks to upper cut but misses.

Skiddy length ball, around off. Dilshan Madushanka plays and misses again. Sri Lanka need 43 off 18 balls.

Back of a length, around off. Dilshan Madushanka has a poke at it and gets beaten.

Full pitcher, on off. Asitha Fernando drags it toward long on for one.

Good length ball on middle-leg stump. Madushanka backs away and bunts that down to sweeper for a single with an open bat face.

Short of a length, around off. Left alone.

Yorker length ball at the stumps. Asitha Fernando gets the bat down in time and squeezes it toward short fine leg for one.

Yorker length ball on off. Dilshan Madushanka bunts it back to the bowler.

Dilshan Madushanka is the last batter for Sri Lanka.

OUT! RUN OUT! Another one bites the dust. Fuller than a length at the stumps. Asitha Fernando drags it toward mid on and looks to take a single. Malinga is late to respond, and both the batters are stranded on the bowler's end. Malinga goes past Asitha to complete the run as the throw comes at the keeper's end, who does the rest. Nine down now.

Asitha Fernando is in at number 10.

OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Naseem bowls a back of a length delivery in the channel, just outside off. Sachindu Colombage has a tentative poke at it, away from the body. Gets a feather of an edge, and Saad Baig does the rest behind the stumps. Sri Lanka lose their eighth.

Fuller than a length, around off. Eshan Malinga tries to thrash through covers but ends up hitting off the toe end toward deep third for one.

Good length, wide of off. Sachindu Colombage cuts it toward deep backward point for one.

On a length, wide outside off. Malinga cuts it through the backward point region for a single.

LEG BYE! Sliding in, full and around leg. Malinga tries to flick it but misses. The ball hits his front pad and rolls down to backward square leg for a leg bye. Sri Lanka need 49 off 30 balls.

Skiddy, length ball around off. Eshan Malinga looks to cut but misses.