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Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf share six wickets but Sri Lanka reach 288 in ODI

Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf share six wickets but Sri Lanka reach 288 in ODI
Sri Lanka's Janith Liyanage (center) plays a shot during the second one-day international (ODI) cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on November 14, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 5 min 45 sec ago

Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf share six wickets but Sri Lanka reach 288 in ODI

Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf share six wickets but Sri Lanka reach 288 in ODI
  • Sri Lanka’s innings was held together by two strong middle-order stands worth 61 and 73 runs
  • The match in Rawalpindi was delayed by a day after Sri Lankan players voiced security concerns

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan bowlers Abrar Ahmed and Haris Rauf took three wickets each as Sri Lanka reached 288 for eight wickets in the second one-day international against Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Friday.

Spinner Abrar finished with 3-41 while pace bowler Rauf claimed 3-66 after Pakistan sent the tourists in to bat on a flat Rawalpindi pitch.

Janith Liyanage top-scored with a fighting 54, hitting a six and two fours.

Liyanage added 61 for the fifth wicket with Sadeera Samarawickrama, who made 42, and another 73 for the sixth with Kamindu Mendis, who scored 44.

Sri Lanka made a confident start of 51 before Pathum Nissanka was run out for 24 attempting a third run.

Abrar then derailed the innings with three wickets, removing Kamil Mishara for 27, Kusal Mendis for 20 and skipper Charith Asalanka for six in the space of 36 runs.

Rauf dismissed Samarawickrama and Kamindu to compensate for the absence of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, who missed the match with a fever.

Wanindu Hasaranga chipped in with a brisk unbeaten 37 off 26 balls, adding 44 at the end with Pramod Madushan, who was 11 not out.

Pakistan lead the three-match series 1-0 after a six-run win in Tuesday’s opener, also in Rawalpindi.

The second ODI was delayed by a day after several Sri Lankan players considered abandoning the tour over security fears following Tuesday’s suicide bombing in Islamabad, just a few miles from the stadium.

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


Pakistan, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ move to deepen defense ties under new security pact

Pakistan, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ move to deepen defense ties under new security pact
Updated 14 sec ago

Pakistan, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ move to deepen defense ties under new security pact

Pakistan, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ move to deepen defense ties under new security pact
  • Pakistan’s chief of general staff meets top Saudi military leaders in Riyadh
  • Both sides review defense projects and explore tech-focused joint ventures

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Syed Aamer Raza met º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s top military leadership in Riyadh to discuss expanding defense cooperation under a strategic framework between the two countries, the Pakistan military said on Friday.

The meeting came nearly two months after Pakistan and º£½ÇÖ±²¥ signed a joint defense security pact, pledging that an attack on one country would be treated as an attack on both.

The Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement was signed in September and further solidified decades of Saudi-Pakistan security cooperation covering areas such as intelligence-sharing, counterterrorism and regional stability.

“Lt. Gen. Syed Aamer Raza, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Pakistan Army, called on General Fayyadh Bin Hameed Al-Rowaily, Chief of General Staff, Royal Saudi Armed Forces, at Riyadh,†the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.

“During the meeting, matters of mutual strategic interest were discussed, with a special focus on strengthening bilateral defense cooperation, enhancing interoperability and advancing collaboration under the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement,†it added.

ISPR said both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the longstanding relations contributing to regional stability and self-reliance.

A special session of the Pakistan-Saudi Bilateral Defense Industrial Forum was also held in Riyadh. The Pakistan tri-services delegation was led by Raza, while the Saudi side was headed by Assistant Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs Khalid Al Biyari.

“During the bilateral meet, both sides reviewed the progress of ongoing defense cooperation projects and discussed new avenues for joint ventures in emerging technologies in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,†the statement said.

The Pakistani general reaffirmed his country’s support for the capacity-building of Saudi defense forces.

ISPR said Saudi officials also praised Pakistan’s “achievements and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and vital contributions to regional peace and stability.â€