Asia Cup 2022

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram said Sri Lanka came into the final with the mind-set that they had to clinch the trophy. A collective impressive performance by Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga and Pramod Madushan led Sri Lanka to the title with a clinical 23-run win.

A collective impressive performance by Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga and Pramod Madushan led Sri Lanka to Asia Cup 2022 title with a clinical 23-win over Pakistan in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. This is Sri Lanka's sixth Asia Cup title -- 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014 & 2022.

The information was first revealed by the official Indian cricket fans group, the Bharat Army, on its official Twitter handle. They put out a video on their Twitter account in which some fans claimed that they were denied entry into the stadium because they were wearing the Indian team's jersey. In the video, a fan stated that the security staff told them they could only enter the stadium if they wore a Pakistani or Sri Lankan jersey.

This is Sri Lanka's sixth Asia Cup title. After losing their opening game against Afghanistan, they beat Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and then again Pakistan to clinch the 2022 Asia Cup. An impressive fighting fifty by Bhanuka Rajapaksa (71 not out off 45) and an attacking knock by Wanindu Hasaranga (36 off 21) propelled Sri Lanka to 170/6 in 20 overs. Apart from Rajapaksa and Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva (28 off 21) and Chamika Karunaratne (14 not out off 14) also played vital knocks for Sri Lanka, during their stay at the crease.

Apart from Rajapaksa and Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva (28 off 21) and Chamika Karunaratne (14 not out off 14) also played vital knocks for Sri Lanka, during their stay at the crease. Put into bat first, Sri Lanka were off to a terrible start, losing three wickets inside the powerplay against the quality pace bowling. In the very first over, pacer Naseem Shah clean bowled Mendis, who was late to bring his bat down on a quality length ball. Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva then hit a few boundaries to show some fight back.

Sri Lanka reached the final of the Asia Cup by beating India, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Super Four stage. The Islanders have turned out to be unlikely finalists despite coming into the competition during difficult times for their country due to economic hardship. Because of the way his team has fought back after losing their opening match to Afghanistan, Shanaka said they are excited to play the final against Pakistan.

Sri Lanka, who came to the tournament after a socio-economic crisis and turmoil in their country, suffered an eight-wicket loss against Afghanistan in their opening game. However, since then, the Dasun Shanaka-led side haven't lost a game and are on a four-match winning streak.

At the Asia Cup, in absence of injured Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, the Indian fast bowlers looked flat, lacked that penetration and killer instinct -- required to seize crucial moments in a big game. Against slightly weaker opponents, they seemed to do a decent job but when quality batters put them under pressure, they faltered.

Spinners Wanindu Hasaranga (3/21) and Maheesh Theekshana's (2/21) impressive bowling performance helped Sri Lanka bowl out Pakistan for 121 in 19.1 overs. Apart from Hasaranga and Theekshana, Pramod Madushan (2/21), Chamika Karunaratne (1/4) and Dhananjaya de Silva (1/18) also bowled with discipline and did a decent job for Sri Lanka.

Before departing for Asia Cup in the UAE, Bumrah and Harshal were unavailable for selection due to back and rib injuries. Before the start of Super Four stage, Jadeja was ruled out due to right knee injury and has undergone surgery for the same, ruling him out of selection for the T20 World Cup in October-November.