The toss was one of the topics of discussion before Pakistan and Sri Lanka met in the Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. From experts to spectators, everyone agrees that the fate of a match depends on the toss. But Sri Lanka proved that theory wrong.
Sri Lanka batted first after losing the toss on Sunday. After winning the toss, Pakistan captain Babar Azam decided to bowl first, and he succeeded. Dasun Shanaka’s team lost 5 wickets to add only 58 runs to the team scorecard. At that moment the match tilted towards Pakistan.
But Vanuka Rajapakse is not a loser before defeat. Thanks to his storming innings of 71 runs from 45 balls, Sri Lanka collected 170 runs after the allotted 20 overs for 7 wickets. In reply, Pakistan lost two wickets earlier and fell under pressure.
However, when the batting of Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed managed the initial disaster, Pakistan was 93 for 2. At that time, the Lankans brought Pakistan down to the ground and spread the aroma of victory. Pakistani batsmen could not stand in front of the bowling cannon of Hasaranga, Pramod Madhushan.
In the end, despite playing 20 overs, Pakistan managed to score 147 runs, losing all the wickets. As a result, Sri Lanka won by 23 runs. Also, the team has won the Asia Cup for the sixth time. The man of the match award in the final went to Rajapaksa who became the hero of the victory by playing an unbeaten innings of 71 runs.
This is like a new sunrise in Sri Lankan cricket. Before the start of the Asia Cup, Lankan captain Dasun Shanak announced that they want to win the Asia Cup for the people of the country during this crisis. Finally, Shanaka’s dream came true. Team Sri Lanka is now floating in the tide of congratulations. Many of the netizens are saying that it is not surprising that Sri Lanka won the World Cup this time.