Dubai: Bhanuka Rajapaksa led the way with a magnificent knock of 71 runs before Sri Lankan bowlers displayed combined effort, To defy the toss factor and defended 171 runs in the final against Pakistan to lift their sixth Asia Cup title.
Set to chase 171, Pakistan’s batting line-up failed completely and could only manage to score 147 before being bowled out on the final delivery. Thus handing Sri Lanka a resounding 23 runs victory in the final.
The Green Shirts had a dismal start to their run chase. As Sri Lanka’s young pacer Pramod Madushan removed Pakistan captain Babar Azam and left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman cheaply for five and a duck respectively. And cause Pakistan to slip to 22/2 in the fourth over.
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Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed then anchored the run chase with a gritty 71-run partnership for the third wicket. The pair stopped the flow of wickets but remained a touch too slow in the run chase. As the required run rate mounted.
Iftikhar then look to change the momentum in accordance with the rising run rate. And as a result, fell victim to Madushan in the 14th over. He score 32 off 31 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and a six.
The side then ran into a match-defining collapse, triggered by star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, who made three scalps in the 17th over. Including Rizwan, who top-scored for the side with 55 off 49 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and a six.
Following the slump, Sri Lankan bowlers then dominate Pakistan batting tail to bundle out the men in green for 147 on the final delivery. While Haris Rauf remain only the third batter to get into the double-figures.