Clinical Pakistan whitewash Sri Lanka 3-0 in ODI series

Pakistan's Mohammad Wasim (L) celebrates after taking the wicket of Sri Lanka's Kamil Mishara (R) during the third one-day international (ODI) cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on November 16, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 16 November 2025
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Clinical Pakistan whitewash Sri Lanka 3-0 in ODI series

  • Rizwan scored an unbeaten 61 and opener Fakhar Zaman knocked 55 to guide Pakistan past their target of 212 in 44.4 overs
  • Fast bowler Wasim earlier took 3-47, while pacer Haris Rauf and spinner Faisal Akram took two apiece to bowl out Sri Lanka

Rawalpindi: Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Wasim starred as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the third and final ODI on Sunday, claiming the series 3-0.

Rizwan scored an unbeaten 61 and opener Fakhar Zaman knocked 55 to guide Pakistan past their target of 212 in 44.4 overs.

Fast bowler Wasim earlier took 3-47, while pace partner Haris Rauf and spinner Faisal Akram took two apiece to bowl out Sri Lanka on a slow-paced Rawalpindi Stadium pitch.

This becomes Pakistan's fourth consecutive ODI series win over Sri Lanka, having beaten them in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Pakistan did lose opener Haseebullah Khan for a duck but Babar Azam joined Zaman to put 74 runs for the second wicket with both dominating the bowling.

Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay brought Sri Lanka back in the game by removing Zaman, Azam (34) and Salman Agha (six) in the space of 33 runs.

But Rizwan and Hussain Talat, who scored 42 not out, dove Pakistan past the target and to 215-4 during their unbroken 100-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Zaman hit eight boundaries while the usually-swashbuckling Rizwan played an anchoring knock which featured just four hits to the rope.

Vandersay finished with 3-42 but did not get any support from the other bowlers.

For Pakistan skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi it was his second series win as captain after beating South Africa 2-1 earlier this month.

"I think winning a series gives great happiness," said Shaheen. "We bowled well in this series so it's nice for the future."

His Sri Lankan counterpart, Kusal Mendis, rued his own side's performance with the bat, however.

"The top five got good starts but did not go on long and we did not get a big total which cost us badly," said Mendis.

Sri Lanka lost the first two ODIs in Rawalpindi and started the final match on a bad note when skipper Charith Asalanka was ruled out with a fever.

Sadeera Samarawickrama, who top-scored with 48, added 43 for the third wicket with stand-in captain Kusal Mendis (34), but the innings then fell away badly.

Pathum Nissanka scored 24 and Kamil Mishara made 29 but both openers were dismissed in quick succession by the combination of Rauf and Wasim.

Akram, playing his first international in a year, dismissed Kamindu Mendis for 10 and then Samarawickrama as the tourists slumped from 143-4 to 193-8.

Debutant Pavan Rathnayake hit a fighting 32 with a six and two boundaries before he was the last man to go, run-out trying to grab a quick second.

The three-match series was overshadowed by security fears following Tuesday's suicide bombing in Islamabad, which killed 12 people and wounded dozens.

The second ODI was delayed by a day after several Sri Lankan players considered abandoning the tour over safety concerns.

But the Pakistan Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket managed to convince the players to stay with enhanced security measures.

The two sides will next engage in a T20 tri-series alongside Zimbabwe, beginning November 18.

 


Dubai Basketball with statement win in Paris

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Dubai Basketball with statement win in Paris

  • A dominant 99-79 win sealed a strong 3-match stint on the road

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball capped off a demanding three-game road stretch in emphatic fashion, delivering a dominant 99-79 victory over Paris Basketball in Round 24 of the EuroLeague last night. The win marked Dubai’s second victory from three away fixtures across EuroLeague and ABA League play, while also preserving the club’s unbeaten record in the ABA League.

Facing Paris at Adidas Arena, Dubai produced one of its most complete performances of the season. From the opening minutes, the visitors imposed their authority at both ends of the floor, controlling tempo, disrupting Paris offensively, and steadily extending their advantage as the game progressed. The victory improved Dubai Basketball’s EuroLeague record to 11–13.

The Paris result followed a narrow EuroLeague defeat just days earlier in Barcelona, where Dubai pushed one of Europe’s elite sides to the final seconds in a thrilling 91:89 loss at Palau Blaugrana. Despite trailing entering the fourth quarter, Dubai mounted a remarkable comeback to level the game late, showcasing resilience in a hostile environment. McKinley Wright IV delivered a career-high 29 points in that contest, while the game also marked the EuroLeague return of Dzanan Musa following injury.

Dubai’s road trip began on Jan. 17 with a commanding 110-93 win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Round 15 of the ABA League. In front of a packed arena, Dubai pulled away late to secure the victory and maintain a perfect league record. Kabengele and Wright led the scoring with 24 points apiece, while Musa made a timely impact in the fourth quarter during his return from a three-month absence.

Across three challenging away fixtures in six days, Dubai Basketball claimed two road victories, remained unbeaten in ABA League competition, and reinforced its ability to compete consistently across multiple fronts, closing the stretch with a statement performance in Paris that highlighted the team’s growing presence on the European stage.

On Jan. 26, the team will take on Serbian side FMP in front of home fans at Coca-Cola Arena as their “invincible” attempt continues with a 13-0 run.