Tag: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

SYLHET: Ayesha Naseem hit two sixes in a row to finish the proceeding in style after Omaima Sohail decimated the Sri Lankan batting lineup with astounding bowling figures of 5/13 as Pakistan sealed a thrilling win over Sri Lanka in the 21st match of the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup 2022.

Set to chase 113, the green shirts steered to glory in the 19th over with five wickets to spare despite a poor start.

Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals in the run chase and slipped to 51/4 in the 10th over with captain Bismah Maroof also walking back to the dressing room after scoring 13 off 16.

All-rounder Nida Dar and Aliya Riaz then anchored the run chase with a vital 45-run partnership for the fifth wicket before the latter fell victim to Kavisha Dilhari. Aliya scored 20 off 26 with the help of three boundaries.

Following the slump, Dar then joined hands with Ayesha and made sure to power their side to victory and avoided any further stutter. Dar top-scored for Pakistan as she remained unbeaten with 26 off 28 including a boundary.

Ayesha, on the other hand, stole the show with two consecutive sixes and accumulated 16* off just five deliveries.

Dilhari was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka as she bagged two wickets, while Inoka Ranaweera, Achini Kulasuriya, and Oshadi Ranasinghe made one scalp each.

Batting first, after winning the toss, the Sri Lankan batting line-up failed completely skittled out for a paltry 112 in the 19th over.

Skipper Chamari Athapaththu provided a solid start to her side as she scored a gritty 41 up the order. She faced 26 deliveries and smashed nine boundaries before falling to Tuba Hassan in the ninth over.

Following her dismissal, the side began to lose wickets at an alarming rate, courtesy of a magnificent bowling spell from Omaima. Ranasinghe fought out with a gritty 26 in the middle but, she too, could not power her side out of trouble.

Omaima returned with match-winning figures of 5/13, while Tuba bagged two. Dar, on the other hand, struck out a batter.

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DUBAI: Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan took the blame upon himself for the team’s defeat in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka on Sunday and extended apologies to the fans as he dropped two crucial catches in the match. 

Taking to Twitter, the 23-year-old spinner regretted the chances that he missed during the final as he dropped Bhanuka Rajapksa twice, who then led the way for Sri Lanka with a magnificent knock of 71 runs.

“Catches win matches. Sorry, I take responsibility for this loss. I let my team down,” he wrote.

“Positives for team, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz and the entire bowling attack was great. Mohammad Rizwan fought hard. The entire team tried their best. Congratulations to Sri Lanka,” his tweet added.

The national side lagged on many fronts as Sri Lanka defied the toss factor and set a respectable 171-run target after being down to 58/5 in the 9th over.

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.

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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 caused Pakistan to slip to 22/2 in the fourth over.

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 looked to change the momentum in accordance with the rising run rate and as a result, fell victim to Madushan in the 14th over. He scored 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 dominated Pakistan batting tail to bundle out the men in green for 147 on the final delivery, while Haris Rauf remained only the third batter to get into the double-figures.

Madushan was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka as he led the way with four wickets, while Hasaranga bagged three. Chamika Karunaratne picked two wickets.

Batting first on the invitation from Pakistan captain Babar, Sri Lanka managed to finish at a commendable 170-6 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the gritty and anchoring knock of Rajapaksa, who remained unbeaten with his 71.

The hosts had a poor start to their inning as the side lost two wickets at a paltry 23 as Pakistan pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf removed both openers Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka cheaply for a duck and eight respectively.

All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva attempted to take on Pakistan bowlers and scored at a decent pace for his important knock of 28 runs off 21 deliveries, laced with four boundaries.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka had a forgetful outing with the bat as Shadab Khan castled the right-handed batter for a mere two and Sri Lanka, as a result, slipped to 58/5 in the ninth over.

Sri Lanka’s hero with the bat Rajapaksa then joined hands with Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva and scripted an astounding recovery for his side in the final. The pair turned the dimension of the game with a brilliant 58-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Haris struck in the 15th over to provide a much-needed breakthrough to Pakistan as he removed Hasaranga, courtesy of a caught-behind. He chipped with a valiant cameo of 36 off 21 deliveries with the help of five boundaries and a six.

Hasaranga’s departure did not bother Rajapaksa much as he held his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking with assistance from Chamika Karunaratne, who scored a run-a-ball 14.

Rajapaksa top-scored for Sri Lanka in the final with a magnificent knock of 71 off 45 deliveries including six boundaries and three sixes.

Haris led the bowling attack for Pakistan with three wickets, while Naseem, Shadab, and Iftikhar Ahmed made one scalp each.

DUBAI: Sri Lankan bowlers – Pramod Madushan and Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva – decimated Pakistan’s batting line-up and defended 171 runs in the final against Pakistan to lift their sixth Asia Cup title.

Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 23 runs to lift their sixth Asia Cup title

PAK 147 (20 Overs)

Karunaratne to bowl the final over

PAK 139-9 (19 Overs)

Madushan comes to bowl his last

PAK 120-8 (18 Overs)

Theekshana comes back

PAK 112-7 (17 Overs)

Hasaranga comes back

PAK 110-4 (16 Overs)

15.2: Short ball, on leg stump. Nawaz tries to pull but the ball gets somewhat big on him. Nonetheless, he’s got some connection, but clearly not good enough!

Karunaratne replaces Madushan

PAK 101-3 (15 Overs)

Dhananjaya de Silva comes into the attack

PAK 97-3 (14 Overs)

13.2:  A 127kph delivery, full on off. Iftikhar clears the front leg and tries to hammer it for half a dozen, but he’s sliced the shot. The fielder at deep backward square leg got under it, then waited nervously for the ball to come down, and then took a catch before taking a tumble onto the ground.

Madushan comes back into the attack

PAK 91-2 (13 Overs)

Theekshana replaces Karunaratne

PAK 88-2 (12 Overs)

Hasaranga continues

PAK 74-2 (11 Overs)

Karunaratne comes back

PAK 68-2 (10 Overs)

Hasaranga comes to bowl his second

PAK 63-2 (9 Overs)

Theekshana comes back

PAK 53-2 (8 Overs)

Chamika Karunaratne comes into the attack

PAK 43-2 (7 Overs)

Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva comes into the attack

PAK 37-2 (6 Overs)

Madushan continues

PAK 32-2 (5 Overs)

Madushanka comes again

PAK 24-2 (4 Overs)

Pramod Madushan comes to bowl his first

PAK 20-0 (3 Overs)

Madushanka continues

PAK 16-1 (2 Overs)

Maheesh Theekshana comes to bowl from the other end

PAK 12-0 (1 Over)

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan come out to run chase for Pakistan. Dilshan Madushanka to open the bowling attack.

PAKISTAN vs SRI LANKA (2nd INNING)

Bhanuka Rajapaksa played an anchoring knock of 71 not-out in the all-important final of the Asia Cup 2022 and bolstered Sri Lanka to finish at 170-6 in 20 overs despite a dismal start.

SL 170-6 (20 Overs)

Naseem to bowl the final over

SL 155-6 (19 Overs)

Hasnain comes to bowl his last

SL 147-6 (18 Overs)

Haris comes to bowl his last

SL 136-6 (17 Overs)

Naseem replaces Haris

SL 120-6 (16 Overs)

Mohammad Nawaz comes into the attack

SL 117-6 (15 Overs)

14.5: Overpitched ball just outside off. Hasaranga backs away to play a square drive, but the ball moves away slightly, takes the outside edge of the bat, and Rizwan gobbles it up!

Haris replaces Hasnain

SL 106-5 (14 Overs)

Shadab comes to bowl his last

SL 99-5 (13 Overs)

Hasnain comes back into the attack

SL 85-5 (12 Overs)

Iftikhar comes again

SL 77-5 (11 Overs)

Shadab comes again

SL 67-5 (10 Overs)

Iftikhar continues

SL 62-5 (9 Overs)

8.5: Tried to sweep it across the line, and the ball was much too full to be pulled. Ends up missing it by a long, long way and it cleans him up.

Shadab continues

SL 55-4 (8 Overs)

7.4: Dhananjaya de Silva tried to slap it over the bowler’s head. But he never found the elevation, and Iftikhar takes a splendid reflex catch to send de Silva packing.

Iftikhar Ahmed comes into the attack

SL 47-3 (7 Overs)

Shadab Khan comes into the attack

SL 42-3 (6 Overs)

Haris continues

SL 36-2 (5 Overs)

Hasnain replaces Naseem

SL 28-2 (4 Overs)

3.2: Tried to swipe it back down the ground, but it ends up flying up towards mid-off, where Babar Azam takes a good catch running backwards. Nissanka miscued the shot, getting it out of the outer half of the bat, which meant it never got the distance on it he intended.

Haris Rauf comes into the attack

SL 23-1 (3 Overs)

Naseem continues

SL 16-1 (2 Overs)

Mohammad Hasnain comes to bowl from the other end

SL 4-1 (1 Over)

0.3: Tailing in at 142 kph, seaming in, clips the pads and uproots off stump. Enthralling start from Pakistan and Mendis is gone for a golden duck.

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis come out to bat for Sri Lanka. Naseem Shah to open the bowling attack for Pakistan.

PAKISTAN vs SRI LANKA (1st INNING)

DUBAI: Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first against Sri Lanka in the much-anticipated final of the Asia Cup 2022.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan made two changes in the Playing XI as Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan replace Hasan Ali and Usman Qadir, while Sri Lanka remain unchanged.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain.

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan, Dilshan Madushanka.

HEAD TO HEAD (Asia Cup)

Matches-16, Sri Lanka-11, Pakistan-5

DUBAI: Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first against Sri Lanka in the much-anticipated final of the Asia Cup 2022.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan made two changes in the Playing XI as Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan replace Hasan Ali and Usman Qadir, while Sri Lanka remain unchanged.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain.

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan, Dilshan Madushanka.

HEAD TO HEAD (Asia Cup)

Matches-16, Sri Lanka-11, Pakistan-5

DUBAI: Two former Asian champions Pakistan and Sri Lanka will collide in the final of the Asia Cup 2022 in a bid to extend their tally of titles and seal their supremacy in the continent.

Five-time champions Sri Lanka and two-time champions Pakistan have met thrice in the Asia Cup Final in 1986, 2000, and 2014 with Sri Lanka coming out on top twice, while Pakistan only managed to win once.

The two sides will meet again in the Asia Cup final today under the sheds of the glittering Dubai International Stadium after displaying an exceptional run in the group stage and Super Four.

Both sides had an unwanted start to their Asia Cup 2022 campaign as Sri Lanka lost to Afghanistan in the curtain-raiser on August 27, while Pakistan suffered a frustrating defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals India, a day later.

The two sides then recollected themselves and won their respective group matches to make their way into the Super Four.

The next stage of the tournament marked an astounding turnaround for both teams as Sri Lanka and Pakistan both won their first two matches against India and Afghanistan to book their place in the final, forcing the latter two sides to crash out of the tournament.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka then met in the tournament’s last Super Four clash on Friday in a Final rehearsal and the Islanders secured a comfortable five-wicket victory over the Green Shirts to carry on their winning momentum.

In the anticipated final, however, Pakistan will be looking to bounce back from their Super Four defeat to end their decade-long title drought, while Sri Lanka will be looking to extend their tally to six. India, on the other hand, won must number of titles (7).
[totalpoll id=”240770″]

The Green Shirts will be taking the field with a revamped Playing XI as their key players Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan will rejoin the side for the final after resting in the Super Four clash.

Pakistan have been majorly relying on their bowling department but will be hoping for their batting to fire on the big stage including their key batters Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, and Mohammad Rizwan.

Sri Lanka, too, also rely heavily on their spin bowling while their openers Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and captain Dasun Shanaka can play a vital role in the team’s success.

HEAD TO HEAD (Asia Cup)

Matches-16, Sri Lanka-11, Pakistan-5

DUBAI: Pakistan’s former captain and legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram declared the national team ‘favourites’ to lift the Asia Cup while he stressed that the Green Shirts should not take Sri Lanka lightly in the all-important final and learn from the experience of the previous game.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka are set to lock horns against each other on Sunday in a bid to become Asian Champions as the enthralling continental tournament draws to an end.

Legendary cricketer, Wasim stated the national team’s batting was below average yet the fast bowling remained impressive in the final dress rehearsal as Sri Lanka comprehensively defeated Pakistan by five wickets on Friday.

“Pakistan’s performance has been phenomenal throughout the Asia Cup. Unfortunately,  our batting didn’t perform well in the last game against Sri Lanka, although our fast bowling was outstanding” he said. ” I hope the team will learn from its mistakes”

“Team’s middle order is struggling. After the dismissal of Babar Azam and Rizwan, they failed to perform due to pressure,” he added.

The 56-year-old claimed the Green Shirts to be his favourites for the final while saying that the young Sri Lankan could not be taken lightly.

Talking about Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s slump with the bat in the ongoing Asia Cup, the legendary pacer expressed optimism that the captain would regain his form in the final.

“Babar is a world-class player. He is in a bit of trouble these days. Let’s hope that he gives his best performance in the final” he concluded.

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DUBAI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed excitement for leading his side in the final of the Asia Cup 2022 and claimed the men in green are now just one step away from lifting the trophy.

Babar, in a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released video, opined regarding leading the side in the final of the continental event, while also claiming that his team is keen to perform well and win the tournament.

“As a captain leading a side in a final, it is exciting,” Babar stated. “We are now just one step away from our goal of winning the trophy. Every captain and team, dreams of winning the trophy. As a team, our goal is to perform well and win the tournament.

The all-format captain heaped praises on his teammates, who stood up for the team and won matches for Pakistan in this year’s Asia Cup, while also claiming that it helps pave the path for future success for the team as well.

“Looking back at this tournament, we have had some great matches and some tough contests. We have seen some great performances and different players have shone and won Player of the match awards,” Babar stated.

“When building a team, it is great for us that different players have stood up when it counts and helped the team win matches. As a captain, this is important for me, and it helps pave the path for future success for the team as well,” he concluded.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka, on the other hand, is confident in his team to do well in the Asia Cup 2022 Final against Pakistan and asserted that this has been one of the best Asia Cups for Sri Lanka Cricket.

“As a team, we are very excited to play the final, and Pakistan is a very good team, all the matches have been nailbiters and we are looking forward to the final,” Shanaka stated.

“As a tournament looking back this has been one of the best Asia Cups we have had, and we are looking forward to the final,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will lock horns with five-time Asia Cup champions, Sri Lanka, in this year’s final, scheduled on Sunday, in a bid to lift the trophy for the third time. Pakistan last won the title in 2012 under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq.

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DUBAI: Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq confirmed that the changes will be made to the Playing XI for the Asia Cup 2022 Final against Sri Lanka.

Following Pakistan’s disappointing loss to Sri Lanka in the last Asia Cup Super Four match on Friday, Saqlain assured at the post-match press conference that changes would undoubtedly be made to the Playing XI since it was important to give some of our players a rest.

“Fast bowlers are constantly playing and it is important to give them rest. We will learn from mistakes and play with passion in the final against Sri Lanka,” Saqlain said.

“It is certain that there will be changes for the final, some players were rested,” he maintained.

The head coach further opined on Pakistan’s middle-order vows and asserted that he is satisfied with the performance.

“We are playing T20 cricket well, the middle order of all teams are not scoring centuries. I will not comment much on the batting, I am happy and confident,” said Saqlain.

Saqlain then went on to comment on the recent slump in Babar Azam’s performance in the ongoing Asia Cup and stated that the latter is playing decent shots while the luck is not in the right-handed batter’s favour.

“Babar Azam has been playing well, playing good shots, but unfortunately the luck is not favouring him to go on and score big,” he claimed.

It is pertinent to mention here Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by five wickets in a dead rubber Super Four match on Friday before meeting in the final of the Asia Cup 2022.

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DUBAI: Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka asserted that his side would not consider Pakistan an easy opponent despite beating the Green Shirts comfortably in the Asia Cup Super Four clash on Friday.

Following Sri Lanka’s comfortable five-wicket victory over Pakistan with 18 balls to spare, Shanaka, in a scheduled press conference, lauded his team’s brilliance in the Super Four stage of the tournament, while claiming that the Islanders would not take Pakistan easily.

“Our team’s performance in the Asia Cup remained quite brilliant. All the players in our team played really well in Super Four,” Shanaka stated.

“We do not consider Pakistan an easy opponent and will come strongly in the final as well,” he added.

Shanaka then went on to emphasize the importance of toss in the ongoing tournament, while also revealing the team’s strategy if they lose the toss in the final.

“The toss is very important in this tournament. If we lose the toss in the final and bat first, then we will try to score plenty of runs in the powerplay,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by five wickets in a dead rubber Super Four match on Friday before meeting in the final of the Asia Cup 2022.

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