Asia Cup Winner: The scorching bowling of pacer Pramod Madushan and spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, as well as a brilliant half-century from Bhanuka Rajapaksa, enabled Sri Lanka to win their sixth Asia Cup.
On Sunday, in the Asia Cup 2022 final in Dubai, Sri Lanka defeated Babar Azam’s Pakistan by 24 runs. The captain, Dasun Shanaka, said that he was motivated by the victory the Chennai Super Kings had in the IPL in 2021 under the leadership of MS Dhoni. After opting to bat first, CSK defeated Kolkata Knight Riders to win their fourth title in Dubai.
“If I go back to IPL 2021, it was Chennai who won the final after batting first,” said Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka after his team defeated Pakistan in the Asia Cup final. “These youngsters know conditions and situations really well. After losing five wickets, Hasaranga-Rajapaksa made a difference. Up front, Chamika (Karunaratne) and DDS (Dhananjaya de Silva) batted really well too.”
The skipper dedicated this Asia Cup victory to the fans in Sri Lanka, saying, “We would like to dedicate this victory to our country. They all were waiting for this. I must thank the crowd. They were supporting us massively. And also to the fans at home, hope we made them proud.”
When asked about the comeback after losing the first match against Afghanistan in the group stages, the skipper stated that “On the opening game against Afghanistan, it happened for a good reason. We had serious discussions after that game. Each and every individual did well for us and that is how we became champions. The fielding improved a lot in the finals. We had some mistakes in the league stages. We were 100 percent today. Credit to the players and the coaching staff. I want to thank the Sri Lankan cricket board and the selectors as well.”
For the first time since 2014, Sri Lanka took home the Asia Cup trophy. They will have to compete in Round 1 (the qualifying round) after failing to earn an automatic qualification, so they are not yet guaranteed a spot in the T20 World Cup Super-12.
