Sri Lanka has burst into celebrations after beating Pakistan by 23 runs to lift the Asia Cup 2022 trophy for the sixth time in T20 – the shortest form of cricket in Dubai.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka called Asia Cup victory a “real turnaround” for Sri Lankan cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup, and dedicated the win to the crisis-hit nation.
An astonishing counterattack from Bhanuka Rajapaksa and impressive bowling performances from Pramod Madushan and Wanindu Hasaranaga set up a comfortable 23-run win for Sri Lanka over Pakistan in the final of the T20 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 11.
Set to chase a 171-run target to win the Asia Cup, Pakistan’s top and middle order batting failed to make a mark against the Sri Lankan bowlers, with skipper Babar Azam out for 5 runs and left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman on duck. Opening batter Muhammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed tried to build a partnership but failed to find boundaries.
Pak vs SL scores in brief:
Sri Lanka 170-6, 20 overs (Bhanuka Rajapaksa 71 not out, Wanindu Hasaranga 36, Dhanajaya de Silva 28; Haris Rauf 3-29)
Pakistan 147 all out, 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 55, Iftikhar Ahmed 32; Pramod Madushan 4-34, Wanindu Hasaranga 3-27, Chamika Karunaratne 2-33)
Player of the match – Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka)
Player of the series – Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)
Congratulatory messages pour in
Former Sri Lanka players sent their congratulations to the current team.
While disappointed with the defeat, former Pakistan stars and a former coach also congratulated Sri Lanka players.