Asia Cup Cricket 2022
Final Match at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, UAE on Sep 11
Sri Lanka 170/6 (Bhanuka Rajapakshe 71*, Wanindu Hasharanga 36, Dhananjaya de Silva 28, Harris Rauf 3/28)
Pakistan 147 All Out (Mohammad Rizwan 55, Iftikhar Ahmed 32, Madhushan Lyanagamage 4/34, Wanindu Hasharanga 3/22, Karunaratne 2/33)
Sri Lanka win by 23 Runs
Player of The Match: Bhanuka Rajapakshe
That cricket is a game of glorious uncertainty was once again reestablished with rank outsider Sri Lanka stunning the worldwide cricket experts deservedly won Asia Cup 2022 winning the final against one of the pre-tournament favorites Pakistan by 23 runs.
Put into bat on a green top pacey wicket Sri Lanka recovered from a precarious position of 116/6 in 14.5 Overs to a very competitive score of 176/6. Their disciplined bowling and aggressive fielding crashed Pakistan to 147. Winning the match by 23 runs Sri Lanka won its 6th Asia cup title. Only India with 7 stays above them.
In a tournament featuring ICC top-ranked teams India and Pakistan, Sri Lanka was not even considered a dark horse. Their win has proved many pundits wrong that India and Pakistan were runaway favorites. It did not have superstars or match winners like India, Pakistan, or even Afghanistan.
Nobody pinned any hopes on them when they were swept away by Afghan tide in the very first match. Yet they rallied back brilliantly beating Pakistan twice in the tournament, India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh once. There can be an upset in one or two matches. But one has to stand up and applaud a team that wins 5 of the 6 matches in a tournament playing planned and disciplined cricket. It was a complete team effort where everyone contributed.
Special accolades are due for Sri Lankan head coach Chris Silverwood, the fallen English coach earlier sacked by England. Dashun Shanaka also marshaled his troops brilliantly. The Sri Lankan win must have made Ranatunga, Jayasuriya, Herath, Muralidhran, jayawardene, Shangkara proud. We congratulate the wonderful people of the beautiful country Sri Lanka now recovering from an economic meltdown.
Sri Lanka qualified for the business round beating Bangladesh after losing their first match against Afghanistan. In the group of four, they started with sweet revenge against Afghanistan. Then they rocked the cricket world beating India and Pakistan in seaside matches. That their wins were not flashes in the pan was proved again when they crashed Pakistan yet again in the final. In head to a contest in T20 format Sri Lanka maintained its supremacy against Pakistan.
The young Sri Lankans were in a bit of a tangle having been asked to bat on a green top pacey wicket. Nasim Shah, Haris Rauf and Hasnain were fast and furious. At 116/6 the chips were really down. But Bhanuka Rajapakshe (71* in 45 balls) and Wanindu Hasharanga 36 bailed them out. 170/6 in a final in a tight situation proved match-winning.
Sri Lankan bowling had the discipline and purposeful. Rookie Madhushan (4/34) varied his pace, swung effectively, Hashranga (3/22) fooled Paki batters with his guiles, Karunaratne (2/33) was steady. Pakistan could reach as far as 147. Other than Rizwan 55 and Iftikhar 32 none could apply. Throughout the tournament, Pakistan’s tramp card captain Babar Azam stayed in his own shadow. Batting proved the Achilles Hills for Pakistan.
It was a great win for Sri Lanka. The people of the musical country now in all sorts of bother must have enjoyed it to their hearts content. Asia Cup2022 proved a very successful tournament.
BDST: 1219 HRS, SEP 12, 2022
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