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Quick answer

Pakistan play Sri Lanka in Match 5 of the Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka Tri-nation ODI Series on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. It is a men's 50-over One-Day International and is scheduled for the day-night window at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan. The Pakistan Cricket Board's tournament release says all matches begin at 1:00 pm Pakistan time, with the toss at 12:30 pm PKT. That converts to 8:00 am UTC and 1:30 pm India Standard Time (IST). 1 2

The local feed for event 1874259 lists the same 8:00 am UTC timestamp and 1:30 pm IST, but its separate local-time field says 1:30 pm. That field conflicts with the PCB schedule, the ESPN match details and the Cricbuzz venue page, all of which give a 1:00 pm Lahore start, so it is rejected as an erroneous provider local label, not treated as a second local start time. This preview therefore uses 1:00 pm PKT / 8:00 am UTC / 1:30 pm IST. 2 3 4

The match is not started, the score is empty, and neither team's playing XI has been announced. The provider says teams will be announced at the toss. The announced tournament squads are not the same thing as the XI. Pakistan's named ODI captain is Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sri Lanka's named captain is Kusal Mendis, but match-day XI and toss decisions remain unknown. 1 5 6

What time does Pakistan vs Sri Lanka start in IST?

Item Verified detail
Source-local date Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Venue time zone Lahore, Pakistan, UTC+05:00
Scheduled local start 1:00 pm PKT
Toss 12:30 pm PKT
UTC 8:00 am UTC
IST 1:30 pm IST
Status checked Upcoming, not started

Pakistan uses UTC+05:00, and the cited venue data gives no daylight-saving change. Adding five hours to the scheduled 8:00 am UTC start gives 1:00 pm in Lahore. India Standard Time is UTC+05:30, so the same start is 1:30 pm IST. The public provider's ISO timestamp is useful confirmation of 8:00 am UTC; its start_time_local label is the part that conflicts with the organiser schedule.

The PCB release was published on 17 October and states that every match in the tri-series begins at 1:00 pm, with the toss at 12:30 pm PKT. ESPN's match page gives 13.00 as the local start and Cricbuzz lists 8:00 am GMT and 1:00 pm local. Those three independent schedule references outweigh the provider's isolated 1:30 pm local label. Readers should still check the PCB match centre on match day for any late change. 1 2 3 4

What is the latest series context?

Pakistan are unbeaten after three completed matches and sit on six points in the accessible table. Sri Lanka have one win and one defeat for two points, while England have lost all three of their matches. The table is a snapshot before Match 5, not a forecast of the final qualification outcome. 2 3

The immediately preceding match at this ground was Match 4 on 25 October. England made 241 all out in 46.4 overs; Pakistan reached 243/9 in 47.1 overs and won by one wicket with 17 balls remaining. The PCB scorecard records Pakistan choosing to field first, Shadab Khan as player of the match, and Gaddafi Stadium as the ground. The chase was close enough to show that a substantial total is not automatically safe here, but one result cannot establish a fixed venue rule. 7 8

The earlier Pakistan-Sri Lanka meeting in this same tri-series was Match 1 on 18 October at Rawalpindi. Pakistan made 305 all out in 49.5 overs and dismissed Sri Lanka for 268 in 48.1 overs, winning by 37 runs. Salman Ali Agha made 107 for Pakistan, while Pavan Rathnayake made 79 and Janith Liyanage 60 for Sri Lanka. That scorecard is relevant for current tournament form, but it was played at a different ground and should not be treated as a Gaddafi Stadium record. 9

Where is the match being played?

The venue is Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, also listed as Lahore Stadium in venue information. It is in Lahore, Pakistan, uses UTC+05:00 and has floodlights, fitting the day-night designation. PCB's tournament fixture page places Match 5 at this ground after the first three games in Rawalpindi. 2 4

The last four league/final fixtures in this tournament are scheduled for Lahore. That continuity matters because Match 4 supplied the most recent surface-specific scorecard, although a new strip, weather, dew and team selection can change the way a 50-over game develops. No pitch inspection or match-day weather statement was available in the sources checked for this preview.

Are the squads confirmed playing XIs?

No. The provider's match record has an empty teams section and says teams will be announced at the toss. The lists below are announced squad information, not a predicted or confirmed XI.

The PCB's 17 October release lists Pakistan's 16-player group as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Moqim. The ICC announcement gives the same Pakistan group and identifies Shaheen as captain. 1 5

The PCB release lists Sri Lanka's group as Kusal Mendis, Sahan Arachchige, Dushmantha Chameera, Sachindu Colombage, Avishka Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Janith Liyanage, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Kamindu Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Lahiru Udara, Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage. An ICC squad announcement instead includes Pathum Nissanka and does not list Lahiru Udara, while noting that Nissanka's travel was conditional on medical clearance. Keep these source lists separate: Lahiru Udara and Pathum Nissanka are disputed between them, and availability for both is unconfirmed from the supplied evidence. This material discrepancy does not establish who will be selected for this match; neither source list is an official XI. 1 6

The ESPN match page displays a 16-player Pakistan squad and a 16-player Sri Lanka squad for the fixture, but its Sri Lanka list also differs from the PCB release in the same area. The safe pre-toss wording is therefore “announced source-specific squad lists contain options; disputed-player availability is unconfirmed; final XIs are expected at the toss.” 10

Who are the current captains?

Shaheen Shah Afridi is the announced Pakistan ODI captain for the tri-series. Kusal Mendis is the announced Sri Lanka captain. The PCB release names both leaders, and the ICC squad notices repeat the appointments. The opening match scorecard also shows Shaheen and Kusal as captains, but that is evidence from Match 1 rather than a guarantee that every player listed will start Match 5. 1 5 6 9

Captaincy should be kept separate from selection. A captain may be in the announced squad without being confirmed in the XI until the toss. The same distinction applies to wicketkeepers: the squad lists include wicketkeeping options, while the final gloves and batting order must be checked from the toss sheet.

What does the venue evidence show?

The accessible venue statistics cover 91 ODIs at Gaddafi Stadium. Teams batting first have won 46 and teams bowling first have won 43; the remaining two matches are not wins for either side in that summary. The average first innings is 251 and the average second innings is 217. The highest listed total is Pakistan's 375/3 against Zimbabwe, the highest chase is Australia's 356/5 against England, and the lowest defended total is West Indies' 170/8 against Pakistan. These are historical aggregates, not a match-day pitch forecast. 4

A small recent sample from the ground's ODI results list shows why the aggregate needs context. From 8 February 2025 to 4 June 2026, the list contains seven completed ODIs: New Zealand beat South Africa by 78 runs on 8 February 2025; New Zealand beat South Africa by 50 runs on 5 March; Afghanistan beat England by eight runs on 26 February; Australia beat England by five wickets on 22 February; Afghanistan beat Australia by eight runs on 28 February; Pakistan beat Australia by six wickets on 2 June 2026; and Pakistan beat Australia by four wickets on 4 June. The sequence has three wins for sides batting first and four for sides chasing, but the result list does not by itself provide every innings total, so it cannot support a recent average. 11

The most directly relevant same-ground card is Match 4 on 25 October: England 241 all out, Pakistan 243/9 in 47.1 overs. It is one completed match, not a denominator for a general scoring rule. The earlier 2025 Pakistan-Sri Lanka ODI series was played at Rawalpindi, so its 211 and 215/4 scores belong in team context rather than the Gaddafi sample. 7 8 12

What are the relevant team records?

Pakistan's current tri-series record is 3–0 before this match. The first Pakistan-Sri Lanka meeting in the competition was Pakistan's 37-run win, and the latest match was the one-wicket win over England at Lahore. Sri Lanka's tri-series record is 1–1 before Match 5. Those figures come from the series table and completed scorecards available on 26 October. 3 9

The PCB's 17 October series release states that Pakistan had won 96 of 160 men's ODIs against Sri Lanka, with one tie and four no-results, at that point in its head-to-head summary. That is a broad bilateral record and includes matches at many grounds and across different teams and periods. 1

At Gaddafi Stadium, the accessible ODI result list gives six Pakistan-Sri Lanka meetings between 25 October 1985 and 24 January 2009. Pakistan won the 1985 match by five wickets and the 14 October 2004 match by six wickets. Sri Lanka won the 16 October 2004 match by 119 runs, the 19 February 2000 match by 104 runs, the 5 November 1997 match by eight wickets and the 24 January 2009 match by 234 runs. This is a bounded result-list sample, not a claim to complete stadium history. It suggests that the historical matchup at this ground is mixed in date and margin, with Sri Lanka holding four of the six listed wins. 11

Can the toss winner be predicted?

No. A fair toss is a random event, so naming Pakistan or Sri Lanka as a certain toss winner would not be evidence-led. The only useful pre-match statement is procedural: the PCB schedules the toss for 12:30 pm PKT, and the winner will then choose whether to bat or field. The venue aggregate is close enough between batting-first wins (46) and bowling-first wins (43), with two other results in the 91-match summary, that it does not justify presenting one choice as automatically superior. 1 4

What conditional match scenarios matter?

If Pakistan bat first, the recent 305 in the opening match and the 243/9 chase in Lahore show two different scoring patterns: a high total at Rawalpindi and a successful but pressured chase at Gaddafi Stadium. Pakistan's current squad includes top-order experience in Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman, all-round options such as Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas and Shadab Khan, and a pace group led by Shaheen, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. The first-match scorecard also showed Pakistan's lower order contributing to a 305 total, but the combination for Match 5 is unconfirmed. 5 9

If Sri Lanka bat first, the first meeting showed the value of a long chase: Rathnayake and Liyanage made 79 and 60, but Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 268. The announced squad gives Sri Lanka several pace options and spin resources, while Kusal Mendis provides wicketkeeping and top-order experience. The ICC squad notice also records the medical-condition caveat around Pathum Nissanka, so his availability should not be assumed from an old list. 6 9

If the team chasing has wickets in hand after the first 30 overs, Match 4 is a useful recent example: Pakistan recovered from 122/7 and reached 243/9, with Shadab Khan unbeaten on 113. If the new-ball attack takes early wickets, the same match also shows how a side can be restricted before a late recovery. These are conditional reading points from scorecards, not a fixed outcome or numerical prediction.

The venue averages point to a historical scoring environment in which first innings have averaged 251 and second innings 217 across 91 ODIs. That difference is a broad record of completed matches, not a forecast for the strip prepared on 27 October. Readers should wait for the toss, official XI, pitch report and any weather/dew update before interpreting the likely balance between batting first and chasing. 4

Where can readers follow it and what should they recheck?

The PCB release identifies PCB Live and domestic broadcast/streaming outlets for the tri-series. ESPN and Cricbuzz also maintain a match page and scorecard. Use the PCB tournament page or the official match centre for the latest schedule, and use the scorecard for the toss, XI, innings and result. 1 2 3 10

Before publication or reading on match day, recheck four expected match-day items: the final playing XIs; the toss decision; any pitch or weather update; and whether the fixture status has changed. The schedule is resolved to 1:00 pm PKT / 8:00 am UTC / 1:30 pm IST; the provider's conflicting separate local-time label is rejected and is not an alternative start time.

FAQs

Is Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Match 5 an ODI?

Yes. PCB describes the competition as a seven-match One-Day International tri-nation series, and the provider categorises event 1874259 as an ODI. It is a men's 50-over match, scheduled as a day-night fixture. 1 10

Where is Pakistan vs Sri Lanka being played?

At Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. The PCB fixture page, the venue page and the ESPN match details all identify the ground. 2 4 10

What is the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Match 5 IST time?

The evidence-backed schedule is 1:30 pm IST on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, corresponding to 1:00 pm in Lahore and 8:00 am UTC. 1 2 3

Are the playing XIs confirmed?

No. The provider says teams will be announced at the toss. Published squad lists are not playing XIs, and the Sri Lanka squad lists available from PCB and ICC contain a material difference that should be resolved by the final team sheet. 1 6

Who captains Pakistan and Sri Lanka?

Shaheen Shah Afridi is Pakistan's announced ODI captain and Kusal Mendis is Sri Lanka's announced captain for the tri-series. 1 5 6

Sources and update note

References

  1. Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka set to begin preparations for ODI World Cup with tri-series from 18 to 31 October
  2. Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka Tri-nation ODI Series 2026/27
  3. Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026 Schedule and Match Results
  4. Gaddafi Stadium venue facts and ODI statistics
  5. Pakistan name squads for home white-ball assignments
  6. Sri Lanka unveil ODI squad for tri-series in Pakistan
  7. 4th Match: Pakistan vs England official scorecard
  8. Pakistan vs England, 4th Match scorecard
  9. Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, 1st Match scorecard
  10. Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, 5th Match match details and squads
  11. List of match results at Gaddafi Stadium in ODIs
  12. Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI 2025 scorecard
  13. Provider match detail for event 1874259