SEP 15, 2023 : Following a nail-biting chase against Pakistan on Thursday at the R Premadasa Stadium, Charith Asalanka, with ice in his veins, ensured Sri Lanka‘s spot against India in the Asia Cup 2023 final. The defending champions needed extra time to secure the victory over a team that was undoubtedly missing key pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf in the last overs. In the second last over, Shaheen Shah Afridi came close to stealing the victory from Sri Lanka, but in the end, Asalanka dug deep to seal Sri Lanka’s victory with a last-ball victory and dash Pakistan’s aspirations.Pathum Nissank and Kusal Perera, Sri Lanka’s openers, came out swinging in the first ball of the second innings, smashing Shaheen Afridi for four. The Sri Lankan camp’s worries were calmed and the game’s tone was established pretty early thanks to ten runs from the opening over. Following a direct runout from Shadab Khan, Perera’s night ended for 17 due to an error in the fourth over. But despite a slight setback, Sri Lanka’s strategy for this chase remained unaffected as Nissanka scored two straight fours in the following two deliveries to make up for the tiny difficulty.Nissanka and Kusal Mendis formed a brief partnership, but Shadab took advantage of the turning track to take the second wicket and dampen Sri Lanka’s promising start. Nissanka left with a score of 29, bringing an end to his evening. In front of Pakistan, Menids and Sadeera Samarawickrama worked together and scored a century stand to win the game. Samarawickrama (48) was duped by Iftikhar Ahmed, but the harm had already been done. When Charith Asalanka entered the game, he immediately hit a huge six over mid-wicket to signal his entry. On the other side, Mendis kept up his typical form, elegantly scoring goals to lower the equation and allow the ball to be run.In his second stint, Iftikhar gave Sri Lanka a fright by returning Mendis (91) just 9 runs short of his century, robbing him of his moment of glory. Dasun Shanaka, the team’s captain, took the pitch to help his team win but left with a score of 2. With two wickets in two balls in the second final over, Shaheen Shah Afridi created a tense last over. Charith Asalanka (49)* maintained his composure and sent Sri Lanka to the final to defend their championship with a little luck. Debutant Zaman Khan had 9 runs to save the game and send Pakistan to the finals. He obtained the border with the aid of a bg outer edge. On the second-to-last ball, Sri Lanka had the most to gain, and a soft flick into the gap was all that was required to secure victory. Earlier in the innings, Pakistan’s start was shaky due to Fakhar Zaman (4)’s continued incapability to perform at the top. They briefly returned to the game thanks to strikes from captain Babar Azam (29) and Abdullah Shafique (52). When Pakistan’s batters were having trouble on the pitch, Rizwan and Iftikhar teamed up, and they were able to score 130 runs despite losing 5 wickets. But after losing their wickets, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, and Shadab Khan’s combined score of 18 was a big failure for Pakistan’s middle order. In a game that had many weather delays, Rizwan and Iftikhar spearheaded Pakistan’s batting. Their elegant boundary strokes presented a number of difficulties for Sri Lanka’s bowling lineup. The constant strike rotation between the right- and left-handed pair caused spinners and pacers to reevaluate their line and length of the deliveries as it was difficult for the bowlers to keep to one length. As both batsmen caused havoc on the pitch, Matheesha Pathirana made a breakthrough. The greatest sixth wicket or lower stand for Pakistan in ODI Asia Cup was their 108-run partnership. However, their cooperation was essential in enabling Pakistan to score 252 points. Brief score: Sri Lanka 252/7 (Kusal Mendis 91, Charith Asalanka 49*; Iftikhar Ahmed 3-50) vs. Pakistan 252/7 (Mohammad Rizwan 86*, Abdullah Shafique 52; Matheesha Pathirana 3-65).
