WATCH: Charith Asalanka holds nerve and finishes match for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023
The match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan turned out to be a thrilling one. In a game full of twists and turns, Sri Lanka somehow managed to claim the win and knock Pakistan out of the tournament. With the win, the home side will take on India in the final of the tournament in R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Sri Lanka will be waiting for their revenge against India.
Opting to bat first on a slow wicket in Colombo, Pakistan managed to score 252 runs. The match was reduced initially to 45 overs due to the interruption of rain. In the first few overs of the match, the home side had complete control over Pakistan. After 27.4 overs, Sri Lanka had Pakistan at 130/5. That was when rain appeared for a brief period and the match was reduced to 42 overs per side.
It was a blessing in disguise, as Pakistan regrouped and came with a better intent. The sixth-wicket partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed yielded 108 runs for Pakistan. Rizwan was the pick of the batters for Pakistan, who scored an unbeaten 86*(73). Iftikhar supported him well and scored 47 runs in 40 balls. The partnership helped the revival of Pakistani innings.
Clever finish from Charith Asalanka
Chasing the target, Sri Lanka was in complete control of the run chase. After 35 overs, the home side was 210/3 and needed only 42 runs in 42 balls to win. From there, Sri Lanka saw an unreal collapse and found themselves at 246/8. In the last 2 balls of the match, the home side needed 6 runs in 2 balls. Only Charith Asalanka was the recognized batter in the middle.
The Southpaw edged the ball, which went between the keeper and the third man. The boundary turned the momentum towards Sri Lanka, which led to panic from the players of Pakistan. With just 2 runs required in the last ball, Zaman Khan bowled a full-length delivery on the pads. Asalanka guided it towards the square leg region and finished the match in style.
Watch the video of Asalanka’s finishing here:
One of the craziest finishes in the ODIs!
Sri Lanka came out on top of Pakistan and knocked them out of Asia Cup…!!! pic.twitter.com/QcQTFpeRaM
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 14, 2023
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