Sri Lanka won their 6th title as they defeated Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai on September 11, 2022. The Men in Green team were completely outplayed by the Islanders in what was an amazing display of team effort.
Pakistan had won the toss and chosen to bowl first and reduced Sri Lanka to 58/5 in no time. But then Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 71* and vital contributions from Dhananjaya de Silva (28) and Wanindu Hasaranga (36) took Sri Lanka to 170/6 in 20 overs.
In the chase, captain Babar Azam fell early for 5 runs, while Fakhar Zaman made a golden duck. While Mohammad Rizwan made 55, he ate up 49 balls for it and when he got out in the 17th over, Pakistan was in dire condition at 110/5.
The pressure became too much as Pakistan folded for 147 and lost the final by 23 runs. Hasaranga took 3 wickets, while Madushan picked 4/34 as Sri Lanka became the Asia Cup 2022 champions.
The victory was not only celebrated in Sri Lanka which is going through political and economic turmoil, but also in Pakistan’s neighboring Afghanistan.
In a video shared by Afghanistan journalist Abdulhaq Omeri, a huge crowd of people was seen on the streets, with some cheering and some dancing with joy after Sri Lanka's win.
This came after the intense super 4s match between the two sides which saw a heated moment between Afghanistan’s Fareed Ahmad and Asif Ali, who almost came to blows and Naseem Shah’s sixes in the last over got Pakistan through to the finals.
The match also saw Afghan team fans beating up Pakistani fans in the stands and outside the Sharjah stadium as well.
People also took to social media to congratulate Sri Lanka on their win and also to poke fun at the Pakistani team's performance in the final, especially while fielding. "Congratulations Thank You Sri Lanka for making us very Happy.. Afghanistan is cheering & celebrating Sr Lanka win," tweeted a user.
