Pakistan failed to live up to the expectations, as Sri Lanka hammered them by 23 runs in the Asia Cup 2022 final to win the title on Sunday (September 11) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
After winning the toss, Pakistan invited Sri Lanka to bat first, and they also had a good start, but riding on Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s brilliant knock of 71*, the Islanders went on to post 170/6 on the board, with Haris Rauf taking three wickets for the Men in Green in the 2022 Asia Cup final.
Chasing the total, Pakistan’s batting line-up could not handle Sri Lanka’s bowling attack as they fell 23 runs short of the target to lose the Asia Cup 2022 title to the Islanders on Sunday in Dubai.
However, despite the crushing defeat, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja is still hopeful of Pakistan’s strong comeback and backs his team to win the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
As reported by Geo TV, Ramiz Raja told media outside the Dubai stadium: “We need to understand that winning and losing is part of the game. But due to dropped catches and lack of rhythm in batting we became the losing side.”
The PCB chief continued, “Our batters should have played spin well. However, there wasn't any pressure of a knockout match. This team is capable of winning the T20 World Cup.”
Raja has also a message for the Pakistan team, saying they should keep playing the same brand of cricket to win the matches.
He signed off by saying, “It’s a big effort that we made it to the final. Fans are also supportive and back the team as we found this team after a long time.”
