Chasing 212, Pakistan crossed the finish line in 44.4 overs with six wickets in hand, completing a 3-0 series sweep over Sri Lanka. Tributes poured in on Sunday as national leaders and cricket officials lauded Pakistan’s dominant ODI performance and the competitive spirit displayed throughout the series.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to X to congratulate the team, praising their “wonderful display of cricket’s unifying spirit.” He said, “I congratulate our national team on winning the ODI series against Sri Lanka,” also commending Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and his team “for their tireless efforts.”

Sharif further extended gratitude to the Sri Lankan players and management, highlighting that “they once again reflected the enduring friendship between our two nations.”

PCB Chairman Naqvi also celebrated Pakistan’s achievement, stating, “Well done boys! Congratulations to all the players on a brilliant clean sweep in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, following our T20I series win as well. Back-to-back dominant performances make us proud of our players, coaches, and management for their dedication and spirit.”

Naqvi urged fans to continue backing the team, adding, “Trust and believe in these boys—they are giving their all for the country.”

He also singled out Haris Rauf for special praise, noting, “Congratulations to Haris Rauf on being named Man of the Series for his outstanding bowling throughout.”

The PCB chief concluded by calling the sweep a “great moment for Pakistan cricket and our fans.”

Key contributions in the third ODI at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium came from Fakhar Zaman and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, both scoring crucial fifties, while Pakistan’s disciplined bowling ensured a comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka to complete the series sweep.

Chasing 212, Pakistan crossed the finish line in 44.4 overs with six wickets in hand, winning the series 3-0.

The experienced duo of Babar Azam and Fakhar then steadied the innings, forging a 74-run second-wicket partnership that helped Pakistan reach 82-2 in 15.2 overs.

Fakhar continued his fine form, scoring 55 off 45 balls, including eight boundaries, to record his 19th ODI fifty before being dismissed by Jeffrey Vandersay.

Mohammad Rizwan joined Babar Azam to accelerate the scoring, guiding Pakistan past 100 in the 20th over with 112 runs still needed from 30 overs.

However, the 21st over proved costly as Vandersay dismissed Babar for 34 off 52 deliveries, leaving the team at 101-3. Vandersay struck again to remove Salman Ali Agha for six, putting Pakistan under pressure at 101-4.

Rizwan and Hussain Talat then combined to rebuild the innings, steadily scoring and taking Pakistan past the 150-run mark.

Their crucial 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket eased the pressure, pushing the team to 167-4 after 37 overs.

As the referee’s whistle signalled the start of the match, two five-year-old Iranian girls faced off, delivering a closely watched karate bout to a captivated audience — a sign of the changing attitude toward martial arts in the Islamic Republic in recent years.

The two young opponents, clad in crisp white karategi with coloured belts and protective headgear, circled each other on the tatami, the floor covering used for practising Japanese martial arts.

Their movements were sharp and deliberate, each kick and block executed with precision and control to the cheers of an all-female audience.

At the final whistle, three minutes later, the two opponents shook hands and embraced.

The match was part of an annual regional tournament that saw 230 participants of all ages gathered in Tehran, lining up in formation before the competition began.

That AFP was accorded rare access to film and photograph a competition for women and girls was itself a sign of greater official openness.

“This sport is anything but violent” because it “promotes discipline”, said Samaneh Parsa, a 44-year-old mother who has been practising karate for five years with her daughter Helma and son Ilya.

“I have observed its positive influence on children’s behaviour,” she said at a club in southern Tehran, where AFP was granted a rare access to the prelude to the match.

For her, karate is a way to “release emotions” and “bring serenity during stressful times”, even though it was long frowned upon for women to practise the sport in Iran.

All martial arts were temporarily banned for women after the 1979 Islamic Revolution but were later reinstated under stricter dress code regulations.

‘Strong mindset’

As more women turn to karate, the sport has become a symbol of Iran’s changing society, where a young, urban generation is quietly challenging traditional gender roles and societal norms.

Last week, Iranian athlete Atousa Golshadnezhad won another gold medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia.

Women in Iran have, in recent years, been pushing social boundaries more broadly — defying the Islamic Republic’s strict rules, including the mandatory dress code.

The trend has been particularly evident since the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, who had been arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the dress code.

Afshin Torkpour, head of Kyokushin-Ryu karate in Iran, has similarly noted a shift in recent years, with women turning to sports that “were once considered violent”.

Women practising the sport are now as, and often more motivated, said Torkpour, noting that they develop “a strong mindset”.

Around 150,000 people practise karate in Iran across all genders, says Torkpour, who estimates that the actual figure could be much higher, up to two million.

At the Asian Championships, the national junior women’s under-21 team won 11 medals, including six golds.

In 2020, two Iranian karatekas participated in the Tokyo Olympics in Japan but did not win any medals.

For Azam Ahmadi, a woman in her 30s who has practised the sport since she was 12, karate teaches essential life skills: “If you fall, you have to get back up, keep going, and never give up.”

Mina Mahadi, vice-head of the women’s Kyokushin-Ryu karate section in Iran, says it also allows girls to “gain confidence” instead of them “saying yes to anything”.