DUBAI: Pramod Madushan and Wanindu Hasaranga shared seven wickets between them as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 23 runs to win their sixth Asia Cup title on Sunday.
Chasing 171 for victory, Pakistan were bowled out for 147 with Madushan claiming four wickets and Hasaranga taking 3-27 in Dubai.
In the first innings, Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 71 off 45 balls helped Sri Lanka set a 171-run target for Pakistan in the final game of the Asia Cup 2022. Sri Lanka were asked to bat first by Babar Azam after the latter won the toss at the start of the match.
Some fiery bowling by the Pakistani bowlers had left Sri Lanka 62/5 by the end of nine overs and it seemed as if Pakistan would end up getting a below-par target.
However, a 58-run partnership between Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva and Rajapaksa provided a perfect launch pad for Sri Lanka to set a competitive target. The partnership ended after Hasaranga de Silva, who was the aggressor, was removed by Haris Rauf in the 15th over. By the time the sixth wicket fell, Rajapaksa was well set to launch a counterattack on the Pakistani bowlers. His 54-run partnership with Chamika Karunaratne pushed Sri Lanka to 170/6 at the end of their 20 overs.
For Pakistan, Haris Rauf was the highest wicket-taker for the Men in Green with three wickets. While Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, and Iftikhar Ahmed ended up with one wicket each.
Squads:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka. –Agencies
