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Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi lead Pakistan to tri-series title after bowlers dominate final

Akshita Patel

Pakistan outsmart Sri Lanka in tri-series final [Source: @TheYorkerBall/X.com]Pakistan outsmart Sri Lanka in tri-series final [Source: @TheYorkerBall/X.com]

Pakistan won the T20I Tri-Series 2025 trophy with a composed six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, capping off a night where discipline with the ball and calmness with the bat proved to be the difference.

The final, under bright lights with a buzzing crowd at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, unfolded like a game of shifting gears.

Sri Lanka threatened early, stumbled in the middle, and Pakistan never really let go once control was in their hands.

Shaheen Afridi & Nawaz trigger Sri Lanka’s collapse 

Sri Lanka, sent in to bat, made a lively start. Pathum Nissanka wasted no time, cracking a boundary and a six to give the scoreboard an early push. 

But Shaheen Afridi struck back almost immediately, removing him for 11 in the third over. That brought Kamil Mishara and Kusal Mendis together, and for a brief phase, Sri Lanka looked settled. 

Mishara, calm and compact, kept rotating strike and punished anything loose. Mendis, though scratchy, hung in long enough to build the partnership.

The pair added 64 valuable runs, taking the visitors to 84/2 by the 11th over. Pakistan needed a breakthrough, and Mohammad Nawaz delivered it as Mendis miscued one straight to Babar Azam. 

Once that stand broke, the innings unravelled rapidly. Mishara reached a well-made 59, but his dismissal to Saim Ayub opened the gates. 

Abrar Ahmed and Nawaz ran through the middle order with clever variations, and Shaheen Afridi returned to wipe out the tail. Sri Lanka collapsed from 98/2 to 114 all out in 19.1 overs, a slide that felt inevitable once pressure mounted.

Babar Azam guides Pakistan to a nervy win with a composed 37*

Chasing 115, Pakistan began cautiously. Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub weren’t in a rush, content with nudging the ball around. 

Sri Lanka bowled tight lines, keeping the powerplay to just 32 runs. Farhan broke the shackles briefly with a six but soon after fell for 23. The chase still looked comfortable, but not entirely sealed.

Babar Azam, as he has done countless times, walked in with calm assurance. Alongside Saim, he shifted the tempo subtly by doing nothing flashy but with smart cricket. 

Their 29-run stand steadied the chase, but when Saim fell for 36, there was still work to do. Salman Agha chipped in with 14 before perishing, and Fakhar Zaman’s brief stay added a hint of tension.

But Babar remained unfazed as he anchored the innings with typical fluency, pacing his 37* off 34 deliveries perfectly.

He ensured that the target was never in danger even as the wickets fell. Late support came from Usman Khan as Pakistan crossed the line in 18.4 overs with a clinical win.  

With that, Pakistan were crowned the winners of the T20I Tri-Series 2025.