DUBAI: On Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 23 runs to win the Asia Cup for the sixth time, overturning an embarrassing opening loss to Afghanistan.
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| Players from Sri Lanka celebrate with the trophy after defeating Pakistan in the Asia Cup final (AP) |
After Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to field first, as had been the case in nine of the previous 12 games, Bhanuka Rajapaksa's unbeaten 71 and Wanindu Hasaranga's crucial contributions with both bat and ball propelled Sri Lanka to their sixth Asia Cup victory.
Sri Lanka defied the odds by defeating Pakistan's quicks Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf after they bowled an excellent opening spell. Player of the Match Rajapaksa and Hasaranga, who scored 36 after being in difficulty at 58-5, pulled up a crucial 58-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
The innings was rebuilt by the duo, who frequently found the boundary to increase score rates. For his 50th T20 wicket, Rauf caught behind Hasaranga, who smashed five fours and one six in his 21-ball inning, to end the precarious partnership.
Rajapaksa persisted in attacking and quickly reached his third T20 half-century as Shadab Khan dropped a ball in the deep. In Naseem's 45-ball blitz, he ended the innings with a four and a six, while Chamika Karunaratne added 54 runs to bring the score to 170-6.
As Pakistan pursued 171, pacers Pramod Madushan (4-34) and Hasaranga (3-27) combined for seven wickets to dismiss Pakistan for 147. The left-arm fast Dilshan Madushanka had a rough opening over, beginning with a no-ball and four wides, but he quickly improved.
Madushanka, who was just playing his second T20, bowled Fakhar Zaman for a golden duck after having Azam caught at short fine-leg for five. Iftikhar (32) and Mohammad Rizwan (55) formed a partnership of 71, but Madushan broke the tie.
With 282, Rizwan eclipsed India's Virat Kohli as the tournament's leading run-getter. However, after reaching his fifty with a six off Chamika Karunaratne, he was soon bowled by Hasaranga's leg-spin, which put an end to the chase.
Looking back on their campaign, which started with a defeat to Afghanistan, Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka remarked, "We improved a lot coming into the final." "I believe there was a good reason that occurred. We had a serious chat with all the players after that," he continued.
Pakistani captain Babar stated, "We dominated the first eight overs, but that [Rajapaksa-Hasaranga] partnership proved critical. "As a hitting unit, we didn't perform up to par, and with the ball, we couldn't finish well and gave up 15-20 additional runs," the team said.
The triumph would taste even better for Sri Lanka, which, despite maintaining the title of hosts, was unable to organise the tournament at home due to a political and economic turmoil on the island.
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