On the back of a strong partnership between Abid Ali and Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by five wickets to register a 2-0 ODI series win. Zaman scored 76 and Ali scored 74 in a good opening show which turned the tables in the third and final ODI in favour of Pakistan, who scored 299-5 in 48.2 overs. Pakistan had earlier marked the return of ODI cricket in Karachi after 10 years with a 67-run victory over Sri Lanka in the second one-day international on Monday.
Danushka Gunathilaka scored a career best century to lift Sri Lanka to a challenging 297-9, but to no avail. The 28-year-old left-hander knocked a 134-ball 133 with 16 boundaries and a six for his second hundred which lifted Sri Lanka after they won the toss and batted on a flat National stadium pitch.
Gunathilaka, suspended twice for breaches of disciplines in the last two years, held the innings together with stands of 88 with skipper Lahiru Thirimanne (36) for the second, 50 for the third with Angelo Perera (13) and 74 with debutant Minod Bhanuka (36) for the fourth in a brilliant display of batting.
It was Amir who gave Pakistan an early breakthrough when he had Avishka Fernando caught behind for four by Sarfaraz Ahmed, leading Pakistan for the 50th time in an ODI.
Gunathilaka defied Pakistan's bowling with guts and determination, improving his previous ODI best of 116 he made against Zimbabwe at Hambantota in 2017.
Thirimanne hit four boundaries off 54 balls while Bhanuka had two sixes in his 39-ball knock.
The ODI series will be followed by three Twenty20s at Lahore from October 5-9.
