Sri Lanka survived a near-car crash to sneak into the ultimate of the Asia Cup with an exhilarating 2-wicket win in opposition to Pakistan within the Tremendous Fours encounter in Colombo on Thursday, September 14. When Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama had been going nice, it felt like Sri Lanka would steamroll the opposition, nevertheless, a harakiri ultimately by their batters complimented by a stable bowling efficiency from Pakistan pacers meant the Males in Blue discovered themselves in a difficult state of affairs needing six runs off the final two balls.
Nonetheless, Charith Asalanka stored his cool to complete off the sport for Sri Lanka as he obtained a fortunate boundary off an edge on the penultimate supply of the final over bowled by debutant Zaman Khan and he guided a full supply in the direction of sq. for a few runs to seal it for his facet. These two runs meant, Sri Lanka had been into their twelfth Asia Cup ultimate (eleventh in ODIs) and can now meet India within the summit conflict on Sunday, September 17.
Sri Lanka had been dominating the chase regardless of dropping each the openers early as Kusal Mendis and Samarawickrama, the highest two main run-scorers of the event had been as much as the duty. The duo did what was required – simply preserve ticking the scorecard and look forward to a foul ball to attain a boundary because the required run price by no means went past 6.2.Â
Mendis scored his fifty and the duo introduced up a hundred-run stand. Simply when it regarded like each of them would take Sri Lanka to victory, in Iftikhar Ahmed, Pakistan discovered an unlikely partnership-breaker as Samarawickrama was stumped by Mohammad Rizwan.
Mendis and Charith Asalanka then took ahead the sport for his or her facet. If not for a dropped catch by Rizwan of Asalanka, Pakistan would have been within the driver’s seat as Sri Lanka had been already beneath stress. It confirmed when Mendis, who batted so effectively for his 91 obtained out with Mohammad Haris taking a superb diving catch at additional cowl.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka adopted swimsuit as Iftikhar Had now three wickets. However because the required run price was and round 6, Sri Lanka had been nonetheless the favourites to win earlier than Shaheen Afridi bowling the penultimate over turned the sport on its head.
Sri Lanka required 12 runs off the final two overs and Shaheen gave simply 4 runs whereas taking two wickets of Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage in two balls to go away the opposition in tatters. A run out within the final over did not assist by Asalanka with cool and calm head on his shoulders took his facet to victory with an unbeaten knock of 49.
Earlier, Pakistan recovered to a rating of 252 after Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed’s 108-run partnership. Earlier than the rain break, Pakistan had been actually struggling at 130/5 however Rizwan and Iftikhar’s counter-attacking knocks after the resumption helped them get well to 252, which appeared like a top quality complete given the floor and the bottom circumstances for Sri Lanka to chase in 42 overs. However ultimately, it wasn’t to be ultimately for Babar Azam’s males.
Despite the fact that their marketing campaign has ended, Pakistan will really feel they’re a greater facet than the final two outcomes given the variety of accidents of their facet and can hope to return higher and stronger within the World Cup, in two weeks from now as India and Sri Lanka play one other Asian ultimate.
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