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Asia Cup 2022 | Final | Sri Lanka v Pakistan | 11 September 2022 | Dubai | Sri Lanka Innings
It's been just two weeks but they must feel like a lot more for finalists Sri Lanka and Pakistan, who've come a long way since their opening game disappointments at the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka in particular, began with an absolute humbling against Afghanistan while Pakistan's loss to India, though a close one, could've chipped at the collective morale.
But not being able to start strong or pull one over the fiercest rival early has made no difference as the two teams find themselves in the title clash on Sunday. Sri Lanka, in their 11th final in this tournament, are aiming to take their Asia Cup title tally to 6 - just one behind India - while Pakistan are looking to add their third to the trophy cabinet. Friday's Super Four game between the two gave them a glimpse into each other's strengths and weaknesses, spicing up their Sunday showdown even more.
Pakistan's biggest lesson from Friday will be about improving their batting effort against Sri Lanka's spin potency, which won the latter that game. For Sri Lanka, the unknown is how they might fare batting first, particularly against Pakistan's young pace attack that has done admirably well in the absence of Shaheen Afridi. Sri Lanka have had the advantage of bowling first in each of their Super Four victories, so the flip of fortunes at the toss could come as a stern test.
Crossed fingers, long prayers, chewed up nails and adrenaline-pumping close finishes have defined this Asia Cup. Now with the two best sides competing for the crown having just sized up each other from close vicinity, expect more of the same for one last time.
When: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Final, September 11, 06:00 PM Local time, 07:30 PM IST
Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
What to expect: Another 'win toss, bowl first' situation. 26 of the last 30 T20Is have been won by the chasing side. Three of the four target-setting winners have been teams that have scored in excess of 190.
Among the two teams, Pakistan have a better record than Sri Lanka on both counts since 2021 against top-10 teams - batting first, Pakistan have won 5 in 12 games while Sri Lanka have won just 2 of their 17. Batting second, Pakistan have 13 wins in 17 while Sri Lanka have won 9 in 19.
Head to head: Sri Lanka and Pakistan have met in three Asia Cup finals - the former won in 1986 and 2014 while the latter emerged victorious in 2000. This will be Sri Lanka's 11th Asia Cup final - the most for a team.
Team Watch:
Sri Lanka
Injury/Unavailability: None reported.
Tactics & Matchups: Spin department led by Wanindu Hasaranga could define Sri Lanka's fate in this fixture. Pakistan's top-six have struck at less than 120 against spinners in T20Is since 2021, and clearly struggled against Sri Lanka spinners on Friday. Even part-timer Dhananjaya de Silva had them on strings, finishing with a spell of 1 for 18 in which he didn't concede a single four. Pakistan have also repeatedly lost momentum in the post-PowerPlay phase of 7 to 10 overs - a phase that Sri Lanka spinners could look to maximise.
Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Charith Asalanka/Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan/Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka
Pakistan
Injury/Unavailability: No injuries reported. Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan, who were rested on Friday, should return.
Tactics & Matchups: After Friday, countering Sri Lanka's spin threat will be top-priority. Shadab Khan was tidy with the bat at #5 in the thriller against Afghanistan, and could once again be Pakistan's spin. He has the experience of doing well against spin in PSL - averaging 36.75 at a strike rate of 142.71.
Probable XI: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain
Did You Know:
- Hasaranga has an economy rate of 6.25 against Pakistan in T20Is. He has picked 11 wickets in 16 overs against them - his returns of 3 for 21 on Friday is his best.
- Naseem Shah has picked 6 wickets in 14 overs in this Asia Cup, bowling at an economy rate of 7.
What They Said:
"The combination we have with the left-arm fast bowlers, the leg spinners - the variation we have is amazing. These are areas we can improve, if we could get early wickets in the next game that will be good." - Dasun Shanaka
"This [Friday's game vs Sri Lanka] was definitely a good learning experience, we will sit back and analyze this game, and see where we can improve for Sunday." - Babar Azam
Squads:
Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeffrey Vandersay, Charith Asalanka, Asitha Fernando, Ashen Bandara, Praveen Jayawickrama, Nuwanidu Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara
Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Haider Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani
<b>Pakistan require 171 to win from 20.0 overs.</b>
It's been just two weeks but they must feel like a lot more for finalists Sri Lanka and Pakistan, who've come a long way since their opening game disappointments at the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka in particular, began with an absolute humbling against Afghanistan while Pakistan's loss to India, though a close one, could've chipped at the collective morale.
But not being able to start strong or pull one over the fiercest rival early has made no difference as the two teams find themselves in the title clash on Sunday. Sri Lanka, in their 11th final in this tournament, are aiming to take their Asia Cup title tally to 6 - just one behind India - while Pakistan are looking to add their third to the trophy cabinet. Friday's Super Four game between the two gave them a glimpse into each other's strengths and weaknesses, spicing up their Sunday showdown even more.
Pakistan's biggest lesson from Friday will be about improving their batting effort against Sri Lanka's spin potency, which won the latter that game. For Sri Lanka, the unknown is how they might fare batting first, particularly against Pakistan's young pace attack that has done admirably well in the absence of Shaheen Afridi. Sri Lanka have had the advantage of bowling first in each of their Super Four victories, so the flip of fortunes at the toss could come as a stern test.
Crossed fingers, long prayers, chewed up nails and adrenaline-pumping close finishes have defined this Asia Cup. Now with the two best sides competing for the crown having just sized up each other from close vicinity, expect more of the same for one last time.
When: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Final, September 11, 06:00 PM Local time, 07:30 PM IST
Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
What to expect: Another 'win toss, bowl first' situation. 26 of the last 30 T20Is have been won by the chasing side. Three of the four target-setting winners have been teams that have scored in excess of 190.
Among the two teams, Pakistan have a better record than Sri Lanka on both counts since 2021 against top-10 teams - batting first, Pakistan have won 5 in 12 games while Sri Lanka have won just 2 of their 17. Batting second, Pakistan have 13 wins in 17 while Sri Lanka have won 9 in 19.
Head to head: Sri Lanka and Pakistan have met in three Asia Cup finals - the former won in 1986 and 2014 while the latter emerged victorious in 2000. This will be Sri Lanka's 11th Asia Cup final - the most for a team.
Team Watch:
Sri Lanka
Injury/Unavailability: None reported.
Tactics & Matchups: Spin department led by Wanindu Hasaranga could define Sri Lanka's fate in this fixture. Pakistan's top-six have struck at less than 120 against spinners in T20Is since 2021, and clearly struggled against Sri Lanka spinners on Friday. Even part-timer Dhananjaya de Silva had them on strings, finishing with a spell of 1 for 18 in which he didn't concede a single four. Pakistan have also repeatedly lost momentum in the post-PowerPlay phase of 7 to 10 overs - a phase that Sri Lanka spinners could look to maximise.
Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Charith Asalanka/Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan/Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka
Pakistan
Injury/Unavailability: No injuries reported. Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan, who were rested on Friday, should return.
Tactics & Matchups: After Friday, countering Sri Lanka's spin threat will be top-priority. Shadab Khan was tidy with the bat at #5 in the thriller against Afghanistan, and could once again be Pakistan's spin. He has the experience of doing well against spin in PSL - averaging 36.75 at a strike rate of 142.71.
Probable XI: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain
Did You Know:
- Hasaranga has an economy rate of 6.25 against Pakistan in T20Is. He has picked 11 wickets in 16 overs against them - his returns of 3 for 21 on Friday is his best.
- Naseem Shah has picked 6 wickets in 14 overs in this Asia Cup, bowling at an economy rate of 7.
What They Said:
"The combination we have with the left-arm fast bowlers, the leg spinners - the variation we have is amazing. These are areas we can improve, if we could get early wickets in the next game that will be good." - Dasun Shanaka
"This [Friday's game vs Sri Lanka] was definitely a good learning experience, we will sit back and analyze this game, and see where we can improve for Sunday." - Babar Azam
Squads:
Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeffrey Vandersay, Charith Asalanka, Asitha Fernando, Ashen Bandara, Praveen Jayawickrama, Nuwanidu Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara
Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Haider Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani
<b>Pakistan require 171 to win from 20.0 overs.</b>
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