Salman Ali Agha led Pakistan’s revival in ODI cricket against Sri Lanka. Arafat Minhas led the emergence of the young guns against England. Shadab Khan then strengthened his and Pakistan’s reputation with a match-winning performance against the same opponent.

Without the contributions of world-class players like Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam, Pakistan stand one win away from the No. 3 position on the ICC ODI Team Rankings, an achievement that would inspire this group and help restore fans’ faith ahead of next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.

They entered the series in fifth place, behind Australia, and now share 104 points with South Africa, trailing them by a fraction. A win would give Pakistan sole possession of No. 3, behind India and New Zealand.

Tuesday is a fresh start for both sides. Sri Lanka, beaten by 37 runs in the series opener, arrive on the back of their marvelous 430-run chase against England, in which Pavan Rathnayake made 130, Avishka Fernando and Dasun Shanaka 97 each, and Janith Liyanage finished unbeaten on 61, ending the match with a six at long-off.

A No. 3 ranking would also give a data-driven Mike Hesson ammunition to talk about his contribution since his appointment in May last year. The numbers support him: in white-ball cricket, Pakistan have won 43 of 64 matches under Hesson, including 12 of 18 ODIs and 31 of 46 T20Is, with one no-result.

They also reveal harsh realities. Of those 43 wins, 32 came against lower-ranked sides, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West Indies, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and five associate nations. Pakistan lost all five T20Is against India and two of three ODIs each against Bangladesh and West Indies.

Salman Ali Agha lost his T20I captaincy while Hesson remained head coach, and selection inconsistencies continue, the latest being the Test squad that left out 13 players from the side that toured England.

A win on Tuesday, consolidated by another on Saturday, would ease the pain of recent disappointments in major tournaments, including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cups of 2024 and 2026, and the ACC Asia Cup 2025.

The three wins in the tri-nation series have boosted the team’s reputation and the players who dominated them.

Salman Ali Agha was unceremoniously released after the Lord’s Test, having captained the first Test but been benched for the second. He returned home and smashed a triple-century in the President’s Trophy.

Arafat Minhas took center stage against England with a dazzling all-around performance, scoring a half-century and returning six for 40. Saad Baig and Hasan Nawaz also impressed, scoring 35 and 79, respectively.

Shadab scored an unbeaten 113 from No. 8, adding 89 for the last wicket off 80 balls with Haris Rauf, a record for the 10th wicket in a successful ODI run-chase. It beat the 64 added by Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts for West Indies against Pakistan at Edgbaston in 1975.

The innings rescued his uncertain international career and helped silence critics who had linked his below-par form to his father-in-law, Saqlain Mushtaq, Pakistan’s legendary off-spinner. It was unfortunate that new media ignored that Shadab was already a proven performer before the marriage, while Saqlain has neither been part of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) nor held any decision-making role since 2023.

Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed four for 46, his first four-wicket haul in 15 matches, but his captaincy drew question marks, particularly the wisdom of using part-time bowlers after England slipped to 52 for four in the Powerplay, and then allowing England’s last pair, Gus Atkinson and debutant Henry Crocombe, to add 40 runs from 36 balls.

On Monday morning, the PCB said Saim Ayub had withdrawn from the remaining matches and would return to domestic cricket to work on his batting form and regain confidence, after discussions with the head coach.

Sahibzada Farhan, who is playing league cricket in Nepal, has been asked to join the side. Sahibzada’s inclusion reunites him with his T20I opening partner Maaz Sadaqat, who received a call-up on Sunday morning to replace Sufiyan Moqim.

With Saim unavailable and Maaz already in Lahore, Maaz is expected to open with Fakhar on Tuesday, unless Hesson decides otherwise and gives Saad Baig his usual opening slot, freeing a place for a specialist bowler.

Regardless, all eyes will be on Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam, who have aggregated 26 and 89 runs, respectively. The talent is undeniable, but the runs must come sooner rather than later.

Pakistan have played impressive cricket in all three matches, but they must fine-tune a few areas at the business end of the series to win their first multi-team tournament on home soil and celebrate the weekend with the No. 3 ranking.