A tournament that began for Sri Lanka with tumult at home and turbulence in the UAE has ended with them taking home the Asia Cup trophy. Pakistan were the side at the receiving end of this thumping, outclassed with the bat, outsmarted with the ball, outdone in the field, and out-thought in the captaincy department by an electric Sri Lankan performance which wrapped up a commanding 23-run win.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa formed the backbone of the Sri Lankan innings, rescuing his side from 58 for 5 with an unbeaten 45-ball 71 that saw them post 170. It was followed by a spirited showing in the field as Sri Lanka outmatched Pakistan's intensity, with Wanindu Hasaranga and Pramod Madushan taking seven wickets between them during a listless batting performance.
It had begun so smoothly for Pakistan, with Naseem Shah's opening-over wicket appearing to set the tone for Pakistan. Haris Rauf was in similarly breathtaking form, never more so than during an extraordinary sixth over where he threatened the stumps nearly every ball. By then, both Pathum Nissanka and Danushka Gunathilaka had been accounted for, and Dhananjaya de Silva and Dasun Shanaka would soon follow.
A revival led by Rajapaksa and Hasaranga helped Sri Lanka force themselves back into the game and a spirited finish ensured they'd post a competitive score. It was assisted by some ordinary ground fielding and catching by Pakistan; their best fielder, Shadab Khan, had a notoriously poor outing. Sri Lanka, by contrast, showed in the field how desperately they wanted this. Pakistan were stifled through the first half and then blown away in the second.
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/asia-cup-2022-1327237/pakistan-vs-sri-lanka-final-1327281/match-report
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