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It’s all to play for as five-time Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka and Pakistan, who have won the title twice, battle it out for the coveted trophy on September 11.
Dasun Shanaka’s men has had quite a ride in the ongoing Asia Cup. They were stunned in the first group match against Afghanistan but then bounced back to win four matches on the trot. The Lankan Lions defeated Afghanistan and India in the first two Super Four fixtures to secure their spot in the final and then went on to beat Pakistan in what was virtually a warm-up game for the final.
Pakistan’s route to the final wasn’t as straightforward. They lost their opening group match versus India before beating Hong Kong to get into the Super Four.
Pakistan avenged their earlier loss by defeating India in the Super Four fixture. In the second game against Afghanistan, they had to fight till the end and eventually won by one wicket courtesy of the no. 10 Naseem Shah hitting two back-to-back sixes.
The final Super Four game saw both the teams making a couple of changes to either try new options or rest the main players. Pakistan’s struggles with their batting continued as none of the batters could put up a good showing. They were especially choked by the spin trio of Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Dhananjaya de Silva – who picked 6 for 60 in 12 overs between them. Mohammad Nawaz belted 26 off 18, but it wasn’t enough as they were bowled out for 121.
Mohammad Hasnain had in-form Kusal Mendis caught at slip on the second ball of the match, while Haris Rauf picked two to reduce the Sri Lankans to 29/3 in five overs. Pathum Nissanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa then stitched together a 51-run partnership to sail them towards safety. Rajapaksa scored 24 off 19 while Dasun Shanaka added 21 off 16. Nissanka remained unbeaten on 55 off 48 to see his side over the line.
Key players
One of the most important cogs in the wheel for Pakistan in T20 cricket, Shadab Khan has picked 80 wickets in 68 T20Is at 7.03 rpo and averages 19 with the bat while striking at 136.
The leg-spinner has snared seven wickets from four games this tournament at just 5.79 rpo. Shadab was the player of the match versus Afghanistan, bagging 1/27 and scoring 36 off 26. He could again have a big role to play against a spin heavy Sri Lankan side.
Wanindu Hasaranga is coming off a superb bowling spell in the last game, claiming 3 for 21 in four overs. The leg-spinner has played four T20I matches against Pakistan and has picked 11 wickets at a strike rate of 8.7. Overall, Hasaranga has 68 scalps from 43 T20Is at an economy of 6.72 while also playing important cameos with the bat.
Pathum Nissanka is one of the better players of high pace in the Sri Lankan team and he showed that in the last game, scoring 55* off 48 on a pitch where most batters struggled. The opener had good starts against Bangladesh and Afghanistan in this competition but could not convert. But then he smashed 52 off 37 versus India, cementing his place.
Rising star Naseem Shah has huge potential and he has started his career pretty well. The Pakistan speedster snared 2 for 27 versus India on his T20I debut and has six wickets in four games this tournament at 7 rpo. Naseem has the pace to intimidate batters and will be a player to watch out for in the final.
Prediction
The overall head-to-head record between the two sides is tilted towards Pakistan, who have won 13 T20Is compared to nine by Sri Lanka. However, the Lankan lions have won four of the last five clashes.
Pakistan will hope for a better performance from the batting unit which comprises Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali and all-rounders. The bowling attack will be bolstered with the return of Naseem and Shadab, who were rested in the last game.
Sri Lankan openers have shown good form in recent times, while Rajapaksa and Shanaka have been very good in the middle order. The bowling attack has a potent spin trio of Hasaranga, Theekshana and de Silva, but the pace unit is inexperienced and can be a problem, especially in death overs. Sri Lanka batters are vulnerable against extreme pace, while Pakistan batters have struggled to score against spinners.
Sri Lanka do have momentum, but Pakistan’s best available XI looks stronger on paper. Expect Pakistan to win the final and clinch, their third Asia Cup trophy.
