Can Sri Lanka see 2025 off with silverware?

Rival Captains Salman Agha of Pakistan and Dasun Shanaka of Sri Lanka

• Take on Pakistan in T20I Tri-Series final today

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Having gone through a difficult second half of the year with a home series loss to Bangladesh, two defeats in four against Zimbabwe and a bottom-place finish in the Asia Cup Super Fours, Sri Lanka will look to finish 2025 with a silverware when they take on host Pakistan in the final of the T20I Tri-Series final at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium today.

The start of the Pakistan tour did not augur well for Sri Lanka as they lost the three-match ODI series 3-0 and began the T20I Tri-Series with back-to-back losses against Zimbabwe and Pakistan, stretching their losing streak in white ball cricket to 8 matches since the Asia Cup Super Fours.

When everything looked bleak for the team and an early exit was on the cards in the Tri-Series, the team managed to bounce back with a convincing 9-wicket win against Zimbabwe and follow it up with a close six-run victory over Pakistan to earn the right to play in the final.

It seems that Sri Lanka has started to peak at the right moment and all that is left between them and the silverware is Pakistan whom they have to defeat in the final today. Having tasted their first defeat Pakistan will also want to have one back on Sri Lanka and this is what makes the contest a real humdinger.

Sri Lanka’s problems lay with their batting where most of the batters got starts but failed to convert them into big scores. Pathum Nissanka, currently the foremost batsman in the team turned it around with a match-winning unbeaten 98 off 58 balls against Zimbabwe. Taking the cue from him, Kamil Mishara played the lead role in Sri Lanka’s win against Pakistan scoring a 48-ball 76. On both occasions Kusal Mendis played a crucial role with scores of 25* and 40 off 23 balls to put the pressure back on the opposition.

“The key was our batting in the last two games it clicked,” said head coach Sanath Jayasuriya. “We cannot say that we have broken the barrier but in every game we want someone from the top order to make a big score. Pathum did it against Zimbabwe and Kamil against Pakistan. You can’t forget the innings played by Kusal Mendis. His 40 off 23 balls gave a lot of confidence to the other players and confidence to the bowlers the way Dushmantha (Chameera) and Wanindu (Hasaranga) bowled.”

“In the last two games, not everything went to plan but to some extent yes. Even though we were able to win there are little, little things to improve. Wherever we have gone wrong we have tried to address them.”

One of the key areas is that Sri Lanka must learn to close games when they have the opposition at their mercy. Sri Lanka did the difficult part by getting Pakistan’s top and middle order batters back in the pavilion to have them reeling at 99-5 in 13 overs but allowed them recover to 178-7 and nearly come within touching distance of winning the match. If that had happened it would have been Zimbabwe who will be playing Pakistan in the final and Sri Lanka flying home.

As regards today’s final, Jayasuriya said, “We have to do well in both batting and bowling departments to win a game. That is the key. The fielding has been really good. We have stopped about 10-15 runs in each of the two games and that’s an advantage. Like the last two games we will have to play to our strengths and execute our plans. We are trying our best to win the final.”

Sri Lanka are unlikely to make any changes to a winning team and will go unchanged. Pakistan who have been chopping and changing their bowlers throughout the tournament is likely to bring back speedster Naseem Shah.