RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera grabbed 4-20 and stifled Pakistan in the final over as Sri Lanka breezed into the final of the T20 tri-series with a six-run victory on Thursday.
Pakistan, which had already qualified for Saturday's final with three successive wins, was held to 178-7 with captain Salman Ali Agha’s career-best unbeaten 63 going in vain.
Opening batter Kamil Mishra’s 76 off 48 balls had earlier anchored Sri Lanka to 184-5 in a game the team had to win in order to reach the final instead of Zimbabwe.
“Proud of how the boys bounced back,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said. “Everybody contributed. … Of course Chameera (exhibited) world-class bowling.”
Chameera dented Pakistan’s chase with figures of 3-3 in the power play and then returned for the final over to concede just three runs when Pakistan required 10 for victory.
The tall fast bowler deceived Sahibzada Farhan (9) with a slower ball and had him caught at short cover before pinning Pakistan’s premier batter Babar Azam lbw for two-ball duck.
Left-handed batter Saim Ayub (27) once again couldn’t convert his aggressive start off 18 balls before he dragged Eshan Malinga back onto his stumps. Chameera had Pakistan on the mat at 4-43 in the sixth over when Fakhar Zaman holed out at mid-on.
Agha and Usman Khan (33) put the chase back on track with an aggressive 56-run stand before Wanindu Hasaranga broke through in the 13th over and Khan sliced a catch to short third.
But Agha and Mohammad Nawaz (27) cut lose in the death overs with a rapid 70-run stand off 36 balls before Malinga struck in the penultimate over and had Nawaz caught at long-on. Chameera then sealed the game by hitting the right lengths.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Mishara and Kusal Mendis (40) gave Sri Lanka a breezy start of 58-1 inside the first six overs after Salman Mirza had Pathum Nissanka (8) bowled in the third over.
Mendis smashed six boundaries and a six before he was undone by Abrar Ahmed’s quicker delivery that skidded into him and had him trapped plumb leg before wicket.
But Mishara kept scoring at a good pace as he swept well in front of the wicket before he eventually perished in the 17th over when he holed out at deep mid-wicket.
Janith Liyanage (24 not out) and captain Shanaka (17 not out) then smashed 24 runs of the final two overs of Mirza and Mohammad Wasim which proved enough for Sri Lanka to defend.
“I think it was gettable with the dew coming in but we lost too many wickets in the powerplay and gave away too many runs in the powerplay,” Agha said. “If you give too many runs in the powerplay, you’ll always be chasing the game. I would have been happier if I had finished the game but it was good to spend some time out in the middle.”
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis plays a shot during the third one day international cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Sri Lanka's Kamil Mishara plays a shot during the second one day international cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Sri Lanka's Dushmantha Chameera, center, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Pakistan's Saim Ayub during the second one day international cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.
The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.
But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.
“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”
U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.
The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.
Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.
Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.
Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”
About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.
The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.
But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.
Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.
Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”
Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
