Sri Lanka
Asia Cup 2022: Excited to play the final, says Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka
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, Pakistan eye well-contested Asia Cup 2022 title
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.
Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by five wickets
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.
Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka win toss, opt to bowl against India; Ashwin replaces Bishnoi
"We'll bowl first because of the record here. All the last three games have been chased down here. The approach has been outstanding by our batters and we hope to continue the same. The coaching staff and the players have created the environment for the new players to come in and deliver. No changes," the Sri Lanka skipper said.
Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by four wickets in Super Four
An excellent attacking knock by Rahmanullah Gurbaz (84 off 45) powered Afghanistan to a challenging 175/6 in 20 overs. Apart from Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran also played an impactful knock (40 off 38) for Afghanistan, who would have hoped for a blistering finish but they lost wickets in a cluster in the last few overs.
Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka wins toss, elects to bowl first against Afghanistan
Sri Lanka went into the match with an unchanged squad and skipper Shanaka said they have done well chasing and will try that again in this match too. "We've done well chasing and wanted to continue with that. We want to have more partnerships in this game, that's our main concern," said Sri Lanka Captain Shanaka at the toss.
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Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka qualify for Super Four with thrilling 2-wicket win over Bangladesh
While Sri Lanka and Afghanistan qualified for Super Four from Group B, it was the end of the tournament for Bangladesh, who lost both their matches. On the other hand, India have qualified for Super Four from Group A and the winner of the clash between Pakistan and Hong Kong on Friday will take the final slot. Chasing a challenging total of 184, Sri Lanka started off well, scoring 48 runs in the powerplay.
Asia Cup 2022: Sparks fly between Bangladesh, Sri Lanka ahead of do-or-die clash
Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka suffered defeats against Afghanistan, who are already into Super Four stage and now, sparks have started to fly between the two teams ahead of a virtual knockout match in Asia Cup 2022. Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka had taken a jibe at Bangladesh's bowling attack, calling them an "easier opponent" as compared to Afghanistan.
Asia Cup 2022: Afghanistan bowl out Sri Lanka for 105
After being invited to bat first, Sri Lanka lost wickets in clusters and their batters looked uncomfortable in the middle for most of the innings. Bhanuka Rajapaksa (38 off 29), Chamika Karunaratne (31 off 38) and Danushka Gunathilaka (17 off 17) were the top-scorers for Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Fazalhaq Farooqi (3/11), Mohammad Nabi (2/14), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/24), and Naveen-ul-Haq (1/23) were the wicket-takers for Afghanistan.
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