Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the last Asia Cup 2022 Super Four game – a dress rehearsal before the final – in Dubai on September 9.
The Sri Lankans have extended their impressive run at the ongoing tournament, registering a clinical five-wicket win over co-finalists Pakistan in the last Super Four game of the competition. It has been quite a turnaround by the Dasun Shanaka-led side, who suffered an eight-wicket defeat to Afghanistan in the tournament opener, before redeeming themselves to win four on the bounce.
They started off somewhat erratic with the ball after having put Pakistan in on Friday, with the first three overs yielding 25 runs, eight of which came as wides. Mohammad Rizwan attempted to unsettle debutant right-arm quick Pramod Madushan but found a top-edge to be snaffled safely by the keeper for 14. Pakistan raced to 49/1 by the end of powerplay, with skipper Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman in, but the scoring slowed down considerably thereafter.
The next four overs yielded 17 runs and the wicket of Zaman, who smashed one straight to Wanindu Hasaranga at sweeper cover in an attempt to clear the longest boundary. Babar missed a wild hoick against Hasaranaga to be dismissed for 30, leaving Pakistan 68/3 in the 11th over, following which wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.
All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz stood firm for an 18-ball 26, but didn’t get enough support from the lower-order and was eventually run-out with seven balls remaining in the innings. Madushan returned to dismiss Haris Rauf as Pakistan bundled out for 121. Hasaranga returned 3/21, while Maheesh Theekshana and Madushan bagged two wickets each.
Sri Lanka’s run-chase had a nervy start, with in-form Kusal Mendis falling to a golden duck to Mohammad Hasnain in the very first over. Danushka Gunathilaka edged one behind off Rauf for a blob in the next, and the raw pace from the latter had the better of Dhananjaya de Silva, too, as Sri Lanka stood at 29/3 at the end of the fifth over.
Pathum Nissanka, who had scored 52 against India in a 97-run opening stand with Mendis, carried the Sri Lankan batting, adding 51 in just 6.3 overs with Bhanuka Rajapaksha. Nawaz produced a stumping opportunity against Rajapaksha when he was on 13, but the extra bounce dodged Rizwan at a stage when Sri Lanka were still 69 away.
Usman Qadir dismissed Rajapaksha for 24 and Shanaka fell to Hasnain for 21 off 16, but Nissanka carried on bringing up his seventh T20I fifty. Hasaranga struck two fours from the first three balls he faced to secure a comprehensive win. Nissanka remained unbeaten on 55 off 48, with five fours and a six.
“Always acceptable these kind of results. The combination we have with the left-arm fast bowlers, the leg spinners – the variation we have is amazing. I think the extras were a concern in this game, and the lines the fast bowlers bowled. These are areas we can improve, if we could get early wickets in the next game that will be good,”
Shanaka said after the match.
The two teams will now meet in the final at the same venue on September 11. Sri Lanka have won the Asia Cup five times, in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008 and 2014, while Pakistan have lifted the title in 2000 and 2012.
Brief scores
Pakistan 121 all-out in 19.1 overs (Azam 30; Hasaranga 3-21) lost to Sri Lanka 124/5 in 17 overs (Nissanka 55*; Hasnain 2-21) by five wickets
