Sri Lanka Beat Pakistan by 8 Wickets in 3rd T20I, Pakistan Win Series 2-1

Short answer: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 8 wickets in the 3rd T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday 13 October 2026. Pakistan made 168 for 8 and Sri Lanka replied with 172 for 2 in 17.1 overs. Pakistan still won the three-match series 2-1.

The series was already decided before this match. Pakistan had won the first two games, so Tuesday was a dead rubber for them. Sri Lanka used it well. Their captain Kusal Mendis made 87 not out off 48 balls and took the match award.

The PCB's own scorecard page sat behind a bot check when we tried it on 14 October 2026. So we read the full ball-by-ball scorecard on a public cricket scorecard service instead. Treat the numbers below as reported, not as a PCB table, and check them against the PCB match centre once it opens.

Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets with 17 balls to spare

Sri Lanka chased 169 and reached 172 for 2 in 17.1 overs, so they had 17 balls left. Kusal Mendis finished on 87 not out off 48 balls and Kamindu Mendis on 40 not out off 27. The two shared an unbroken stand of 98.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first. Pakistan batted for the full 20 overs. The chase was never in doubt after the first ten overs, because Sri Lanka lost only two wickets in total.

Kusal Mendis made the chase look easy

Kusal Mendis hit 9 fours and 4 sixes in his 87 not out, at a strike rate of 181. He came in when Sri Lanka were 15 for 1 and stayed to the end. Sineth Jayawardena added 38 off 26 balls at the other end.

The first wicket fell early. Lahiru Udara was out leg before wicket to Mohammad Imran for 1 in the second over. Pakistan did not take another wicket until the 8th over, when Arafat Minhas had Jayawardena caught at long-on with the score on 74.

After that, Pakistan had no answer. Salman Mirza gave 40 runs in three overs without a wicket. Razaullah went for 37 in 3.1 overs. Sri Lanka scored at more than 10 runs an over for the whole innings.

Pakistan lost wickets early and were saved by a late stand

Pakistan were 102 for 6 after 13.4 overs. Sahibzada Farhan (76 off 47) and Arafat Minhas (34 not out off 20) then added 66 for the seventh wicket. Pakistan took 48 runs off the last three overs to reach 168 for 8.

The top order did not fire. Fakhar Zaman was caught for 12 off the first ball of the fourth over after Malinga struck. Maaz Sadaqat, who had made 146 runs in the first two games, was out for 0 three balls later. Hasan Nawaz made 16, Khawaja Nafay 3 and Mohammad Imran 6.

1. Fakhar Zaman c Udara b Malinga, 12 (34 for 1).
2. Maaz Sadaqat c Wickramasinghe b Malinga, 0 (34 for 2).
3. Hasan Nawaz c Kamindu Mendis b Viyaskanth, 16 (67 for 3).
4. Khawaja Nafay c Arachchige b Shanaka, 3 (72 for 4).
5. Mohammad Imran c Wickramasinghe b Shanaka, 6 (86 for 5).
6. Abdul Samad c Udara b Shanaka, 15 (102 for 6).
7. Sahibzada Farhan c Shanaka b Thushara, 76 (168 for 7).
8. Razaullah b Thushara, 0 (168 for 8).

Farhan hit 7 fours and 3 sixes before he was caught off a top edge in the last over. Nuwan Thushara then bowled Razaullah first ball. Thushara finished with 2 for 38, and Dasun Shanaka took 3 for 21 in his four overs.

Shanaka was the best Sri Lankan bowler

Dasun Shanaka took 3 for 21 in four overs, the best figures of the day. Viyaskanth took 1 for 23 in four overs, and Eshan Malinga and Nuwan Thushara took 2 wickets each for 38 runs. Binura Fernando went for 45 without a wicket.

Pakistan's bowlers took only two wickets between them. Mohammad Imran took 1 for 31 in four overs. Arafat Minhas took 1 for 26 in three. Sufyan Moqim gave 35 runs in four overs.

The result does not change the series. It does show that Pakistan's bowling still has a gap when the early wickets do not come.

Pakistan won the series 2-1 and the tour moves to ODIs

Pakistan won the first game by 4 wickets, the second by 82 runs, and lost the third by 8 wickets. The teams now meet again in the ODI tri-series, starting on Sunday 18 October in Rawalpindi. The two Tests follow in November.

Our report on the first match is in the 4-wicket win in the 1st T20I. The second match is covered in the 82-run win that sealed the series. For the batters behind the series, see how Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat made most of Pakistan's runs.

Next up is the 50-over game. The ODI tri-series fixtures run from 18 to 31 October, and England join the two sides. Kusal Mendis will also lead Sri Lanka in the Tests, as we explained when he took over from Dhananjaya de Silva as Test captain.

Common questions

Who won the 3rd T20I between Pakistan and Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets on 13 October 2026 at Rawalpindi. They chased 169 and finished on 172 for 2 in 17.1 overs.

Who won the T20I series?

Pakistan won the three-match series 2-1. They won the first two games and lost the last one.

Who was player of the series?

Sahibzada Farhan, the Pakistan captain, took the player of the series award according to the scorecard we read.

Who was player of the match in the 3rd T20I?

Kusal Mendis, the Sri Lanka captain, for 87 not out off 48 balls.

When is the next Pakistan match?

Pakistan play Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the tri-series on Sunday 18 October 2026 in Rawalpindi. England play their first game on 20 October.

Where can I read the official scorecard?

On the PCB match centre at pcb.com.pk. The page was behind a bot check on the night of the match, so it may need a browser and a few tries.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 14 October 2026, Pakistan time. We read the full scorecard of the 3rd T20I, including the fall of wickets, bowling figures and the match details panel, on a public cricket scorecard service. The PCB's own scorecard at pcb.com.pk was behind a bot check, so we could not compare line by line. Figures from the first two matches come from our own earlier reports. We did not see the match ourselves. Start and end times are not stated here because we could not confirm them on the PCB site.