Pakistan may have won three matches in the tri-nation series, but they are yet to produce their best performance, one truly worthy of a champion side. They get a final opportunity to show their prowess and potential when they take on Sri Lanka in the final at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Janith Liyanage and Dasun Shanaka had brain fades when they holed out in the deep as Sri Lanka slipped from 253 for five to 268 all out, handing Pakistan a 37-run victory. England started a 303-run chase with a 91-run first-wicket partnership before capitulating to 215, giving Pakistan an 87-run victory.

Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf put on an unbroken 89-run last-wicket partnership, a record for the 10th wicket in a successful ODI run-chase, to give Pakistan an incredible one-wicket victory over England while chasing 242. Pakistan finally ran out of luck on Tuesday when they crashed out for 110 and Sri Lanka raced to victory inside 19 overs to win by eight wickets.

Sri Lanka, in contrast, who lost the opener to Pakistan and beat them on Tuesday, chased down 430 against England in Rawalpindi to win by two wickets before losing by 55 runs on Thursday after being set a target of 387 and reaching 258 for four at one stage.

While Pakistan’s performances have owed more to individual brilliance – Salman Ali Agha’s century against Sri Lanka, Arafat Minhas’ half-century and six wickets against England, and Shadab Khan’s marvelous century against England – they are yet to produce a performance born of collective effort.

From the top order, Fakhar Zaman has managed 31 runs in four matches, Babar Azam has aggregated 118 and young Saad Baig 111. Saim Ayub, after scoring 21 runs in three matches, withdrew from the squad, and his replacement, Maaz Sadaqat, managed only eight on Tuesday.

In the middle-order, Salman has scored 158 runs, with 107 coming against Sri Lanka, while Hasan Nawaz has contributed 148, including 79 against England in Rawalpindi.

Among the all-rounders, Arafat Minhas has backed his 88 runs with nine wickets, while Shadab Khan’s series aggregate of 115 runs has yet to be supported by any wicket.

Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken eight wickets, one fewer than Arafat, but has had little worthwhile support at the other end. Haris Rauf has taken five wickets, Naseem Shah three and Faheem Ashraf two.

These numbers clearly reflect how much Pakistan have to improve when they take the field on Saturday. It will be their last chance to enhance their overall performance and win their first multi-team series on home soil in five attempts, the first being the 1994 tri-series against Australia and South Africa.

Sri Lanka’s performance, in contrast, has been better than Pakistan’s, even though they won one match fewer than the home side.

Their scores of 268 all out and 114 for two against Pakistan, and 430 for eight and 331 all out, tell the story of their batting strength and depth.

Pavan Rathnayake has been a revelation on the tour, aggregating 350 runs in four matches with two centuries. Avishka Fernando has totaled 166 runs, Liyanage 148 and Shanaka 129, while captain Kusal Mendis showed form on Thursday when he scored 89 from 71 balls.

Dilshan Madushanka, who bowled out Pakistan on Tuesday with five for 34, is the joint-second leading wicket-taker with Shaheen, while Asitha Fernando and Eshan Malinga have taken seven and six wickets, respectively.

But the players from both sides will start fresh on Saturday, and past performances in the series will count for nothing. All that will be remembered is how they performed on the big day when the trophy was up for grabs.

Both sides are preparing for next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027. The winners will take forward a lot of confidence, while the losers will be left with plenty of work before they are in a position to challenge the top sides in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Namibia will host the first round, in which neither Sri Lanka nor Pakistan will participate.

From Pakistan’s perspective, Fakhar and Babar will be under enormous pressure to deliver, as another failure could force the selectors to take extreme decisions, with Pakistan left with only five ODIs in England next year, a tour already announced, before they head to Africa. Word is going around that Ireland will tour Pakistan for ODIs early next year, but the PCB has not officially confirmed the series.

A full house is expected on Saturday, and the only way the fans can return home beaming with smiles and laughter will be to see Shaheen lift the trophy. If that happens, it will also help restore faith and confidence among fans who have been disgruntled and disappointed by on-field and off-field events that have made headlines across the globe.