Fakhar Zaman 127 off 99: His 12th ODI Century Wins Pakistan the Tri-Series Final Against Sri Lanka
Fakhar Zaman scored 127 off 99 balls, his 12th ODI century, as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in the tri-series final in Lahore. See the boundaries, stand and chase.
Fakhar Zaman scored 127 off 99 balls in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on 31 October 2026. It was his 12th ODI century, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said, with 11 fours and 6 sixes. His innings set up Pakistan's 3 wicket win in a chase of 326.
The hundred came at the right time. Two days before the final, the ICC noted that Fakhar had not made a half-century in the series despite playing every match. Pakistan coach Mike Hesson said then that he expected "big players to stand up in big games". Fakhar did. We read the ICC match story and Sri Lanka Cricket's match report on 1 November 2026 to piece the innings together.
Fakhar Zaman's 127 came off 99 balls with 11 fours and 6 sixes
Fakhar Zaman made 127 runs from 99 balls in the final. He hit 11 fours and 6 sixes, so 80 of his runs came in boundaries. His strike rate was about 128 runs per 100 balls, by our sum, in a chase that needed 6.52 an over.
| Fakhar Zaman in the final | Figure |
|---|---|
| Runs | 127 |
| Balls | 99 |
| Fours | 11, worth 44 runs |
| Sixes | 6, worth 36 runs |
| Runs in boundaries | 80 of 127, about 63 per cent |
| Runs from other balls | 47 off 82 balls |
| Strike rate | 128.28 |
| ODI centuries | 12, according to the ICC |
The boundary share tells you how he played. He scored 80 runs off 17 balls and 47 off the other 82. That is a classic chasing pattern: rotate the strike, then punish the bad ball. The asking rate of 6.52 an over is our sum of 326 runs from 50 overs.
If you want to check the strike rate yourself, it is runs divided by balls, times 100. Our guide on how to read an ODI scorecard walks through it with a Pakistan example.
He came in to rescue Pakistan at 14 for 2
Pakistan were 14 for 2 early in the chase after Dilshan Madushanka removed Maaz Sadaqat for 5 and Babar Azam for 0. Fakhar was still there, and with Saad Baig he added 149 for the third wicket, according to Sri Lanka Cricket.
Madushanka had taken 5 for 34 against Pakistan only four days earlier, when Pakistan were bowled out for 110 in Lahore. So the early wickets carried a real threat of a repeat. Fakhar did not panic. He let Saad Baig settle and kept the board moving.
Saad Baig made 74 off 75, his first ODI half-century according to the ICC. He had made 39 and taken two catches on his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi on 18 October, as covered in our report on Saad Baig's debut. The two together took Pakistan from danger to control.
Pakistan still needed 106 when Fakhar was out
Sri Lanka Cricket's report says Pakistan needed 106 more runs when Fakhar was dismissed. That puts Pakistan on 220 at that moment, by our sum. The ICC story then has Pakistan 230 for 5 after 36.5 overs.
So the job was not finished. From 230 for 5, Pakistan needed 96 runs from 79 balls. Arafat Minhas then hit 61 off 31 and added 94 with Hasan Nawaz for the sixth wicket. Captain Shaheen Afridi hit the winning six with 9 balls left. The full scoring is in our tri-series final result.
Fakhar's 127 was 38 per cent of Pakistan's 331, by our sum. Take it away and no one else in the top order passed 74. That is the plainest way to say what the innings was worth.
- Pakistan lose two wickets for 14 runs.
- Fakhar and Saad Baig add 149 for the third wicket.
- Fakhar is out with 106 still needed.
- Pakistan reach 230 for 5 after 36.5 overs.
- Arafat Minhas and Hasan Nawaz add 94 and Pakistan win by 3 wickets.
The hundred ended a quiet tri-series for Fakhar
Before the final, Fakhar had played every tri-series match without a fifty, the ICC said on 30 October. No Pakistan batter was in the series' top five run-scorers at that point. The 127 changed his series in one innings.
Pakistan reached the final anyway, with wins built on lower-order runs and bowling. Salman Agha's 107 won the opener, and Shadab Khan's 113 not out from number eight beat England by one wicket, as our report on Shadab's hundred showed. Hesson said winning "without the top order performing" was a good sign.
Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis also made a century in the final, 131 off 128, his first in ODIs according to Sri Lanka Cricket. So the final had two hundreds. Fakhar's came faster, and it came in the winning side.
What the knock means for Pakistan before the 2027 World Cup
The ICC framed the series as a step towards the 2027 Men's Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Before the final it said Hesson had won 12 of 19 ODIs as coach. The final makes it 13 of 20, by our sum.
That record includes series wins against Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa, the ICC said. Hesson's worry was the top order. Fakhar's hundred answers part of it. Babar Azam's duck in the final leaves the other part open.
The ICC's ODI player rankings usually move after a series ends. We will check them again when the ICC publishes its next update. Our page on Pakistan's ICC ODI rankings has the last positions we read.
Common questions
How many runs did Fakhar Zaman score in the tri-series final?
He scored 127 off 99 balls, with 11 fours and 6 sixes, against Sri Lanka in Lahore on 31 October 2026.
How many ODI centuries does Fakhar Zaman have?
The 127 was his 12th ODI century, according to the ICC match story of 31 October 2026.
Who batted with Fakhar in the big partnership?
Saad Baig. The pair added 149 for the third wicket, and Baig made 74 off 75.
Did Pakistan win the final?
Yes. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets, finishing on 331 for 7 in 48.3 overs.
Was Fakhar Zaman player of the match?
The ICC and Sri Lanka Cricket reports we read did not name the player of the match. We have not seen the award confirmed.
What did Fakhar score earlier in the series?
He did not reach 50 in any earlier match, the ICC said before the final. We could not open a full scorecard for each game.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 1 November 2026 at about 06:30 PKT. The 127 off 99, the 12th century, the boundaries, the 230 for 5 and Saad Baig's 74 come from the ICC match story of 31 October 2026. The 149 stand, the 106 still needed and Kamindu Mendis's maiden century come from Sri Lanka Cricket's Sinhala match report of 1 November 2026, which we translated ourselves. Hesson's words and his 12 wins from 19 ODIs come from the ICC preview of 30 October 2026. The boundary share, strike rate and 13 of 20 are our arithmetic. We could not open the PCB website, so his earlier series scores and the awards are not shown.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
