The Sri Lankan team, led by Dasun Shanaka, won the Asia Cup for the sixth time by defeating Pakistan by a score of 23 runs in the final. When Sri Lanka batted first in the championship match, they were struggling at 58/5, but Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s unbeaten 71-run effort helped them reach 170/6 in 20 overs, and after that, Pramod Madushan’s four-wicket haul bowled out Pakistan for 147, giving Sri Lanka a 23-run victory.

It is significant to note that Sri Lanka does not automatically qualify for the 2017 T20 World Cup and must first compete in the qualifiers to ensure their spot in the group stage. 

Virender Sehwag, a former Indian batter, made a novel suggestion, stating that it would be intriguing if teams that lose to opponents who haven’t qualified also forfeit their World Cup qualifying.

“Well played Sri Lanka, deserving champions of #AsiaCup. Imagine, they haven’t qualified for the T20 World Cup which is to be held next month. Wouldn’t it be interesting if you lose to a team that hasn’t qualified you too lose qualification. Tote ud jaate sab teams ke. #SLvsPAK,” tweeted Sehwag.

ALSO READ: Asia Cup 2022: 5 discussion points

Dasun Shanaka’s underrated group defeated Pakistan by 23 runs to win their sixth Asia Cup title here on Sunday. Sri Lanka, a country still picking up the pieces after the death of democracy while also experiencing severe financial instability, found 11 deserving heroes on the cricket field.

It was a victory that went far beyond cricket and had greater historical and political significance.

Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 23 runs in Dubai on Sunday to secure their 6th Asia Cup. Pundits had allowed Sri Lanka little opportunity of making the Super Four after an embarrassingly opening defeat against Afghanistan. 

However, Dasun Shanaka’s side then racked up five progressive victories, taking them to Asia Cup glory. Batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s batting masterclass and Wanindu Hasaranga’s overall splendour got Sri Lanka’s 23-run win against Pakistan in the final. 

THE FIVE TAKEAWAY POINTS

Sri Lanka Shock

Bhanuka Rajapaksa marked the accomplishment as a “great win” for the island country in the midst of their economic crisis. 

“As a nation, I think it’s a great win … with all the crisis happening back home, these are tough times for Sri Lankans. We are glad and hope that we brought some smiles to their faces,”

he said. 

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said winning the Asia Cup will help the team’s groundwork for the following month’s Twenty20 World Cup. Sri Lanka are due to begin their World Cup campaign with a qualifying match against Namibia on October 16. The island country had won the T20 World Cup in 2014.

Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to share his views on Sri Lanka winning the Asia Cup in Dubai for the 6th time.

King Kohli is back

Despite the fact that India couldn’t qualify for the finals, Virat Kohli scored 276 tournament runs at an average of 92, with his 122 not out against Afghanistan becoming his first century for India in any format since November 2019. It was also his first three-figure score in a Twenty20 international. Kohli’s extended batting slump had become a major discussion but he hushed the gab. Kohli was the second highest scorer of the competition, just outperformed by Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, whose 55 in the last over pushed him in front with 281 runs from six matches.

Naseem Shah – new star arises

Pakistan’s bowling attack was without the injured pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi yet another Shah, young Naseem, adapted to the situation. The 19-year-old’s express pace saw him take seven wickets in five matches and he was also a match-winner with the bat – – his two last-over sixes in the exhilarating win over Afghanistan brought his team into the final. Shah signed off the Asia Cup in typical fashion by taking a wicket in the first over in Sunday’s final, stupendously evacuating Kusal Mendis’ off stump after Pakistan skipper Babar Azam had won the toss and chose to bowl.

Afghanistan threat

Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi anticipated they will “come back stronger” for the T20 World Cup where his side will be hoping to disturb the established cricket powers. In the first match, his side bundled out possible heroes Sri Lanka for 105 in the first match, which Afghanistan won by eight wickets with almost 10 overs in excess. Afghanistan then pounded Bangladesh and in the Super Four gave Pakistan a powerful panic prior to going somewhere near one wicket in the last over of an ill-tempered conflict. The majority of the team learnt their cricket in refugee camps in Pakistan and they have taken goliath steps since getting Test status in 2017.

ALSO READ: SL vs PAK, Asia Cup FINALs 2022: SL wins by 23 runs!

Shakib’s Cup of burden

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan returned as skipper after he bowed to a Bangladesh Cricket Board final offer to scrap an arrangement with a wagering site. However, his presence had little effect on Bangladesh’s sad T20 record as they failed  to come to the Super Four after losing group matches to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Shakib returned figures of 1-13 with his left-arm turn against Afghanistan and afterward made 24 in the Sri Lanka rout, Bangladesh’s fifteenth T20 misfortune in their last matches, yet demanded his team had a “plan set in pace” to get to the next level.

IND vs AFG: India 212 for 2 (Kohli 122*, Rahul 62, Fareed 2-57) beat Afghanistan 111 for 8 (Ibrahim 64*, Bhuvneshwar 5-4) by 101 runs

Indeed, even Virat Kohli was stunned it came in this format. One-thousand-twenty days and 83 international innings since he last scored 100, Kohli got his subtle No. 71 in a T20 international against Afghanistan in India’s last match of the Asia Cup. Offered the chance to open the innings without the resting skipper, Rohit Sharma, Kohli played a classic innings, going from 10 off 10 to 50 off 32 and afterward scoring 63 off the last 21 balls he played. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then, at that point, returned figures of 4-1-4-5 with every way swing to leave Afghanistan faltering.

Playing under 24 hours after the shock against Pakistan, Afghanistan wore a stupefied look. They dropped three relatively easy catches, and seemed as though they had no reaction when Kohli went in all out attack mode. Furthermore, Bhuvneshwar didn’t have to set batters up. Outswingers took edges, inswingers crushed the stumps, and more slow balls were chipped to defenders.

New opening pair takes time and then go bang

The match began with the energy of a dead elastic. India rolled out three changes, and it would have been extreme for Afghanistan to get up and clean themselves in a match they had nothing to play for. The first two overs went unobtrusively by, yet in the third KL Rahul started to push India’s goal. Kohli dismantled Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the 6th, descending the wicket and arriving at the pitch of the ball to nullify his secret, and furthermore utilising the uncommon scope. Soon he overtook Rahul.

In the eighth over, came an essential snapshot of the match: Kohli mis-hit a draw of Mohammad Nabi, however Ibrahim Zadran misinterpreted the space behind him, ended up going one-handed and tapping the ball over the boundary.

Rahul falls yet Kohli continues to speed up

Rahul attempted to push the scoring rate up, continued in Kohli’s means with a fifty and when he was looking perilous and ready for his regular steep speed increase, he confounded a draw down the ground for a catch to long-on. Suryakumar Yadav started with a six on the first ball but played on the second ball. Rishabh Pant then, at that point, attempted to get moving.

King Kohli’s comeback

At the opposite end, Kohli was presently into the death overs, still new and his eye in. This is where he gets dangerous in T20 cricket. This is a stage he has been attempting to get into in T20 cricket for some time, however he has not had the chance to.

Kohli then released punishment on Afghanistan. He gave Rashid Khan the charge and hit a six, which isn’t easy to do. Then, at that point, the left-arm pacer Fareed Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooqi were dismissed. The hundred accompanied a level six through a draw to a short-of-a-length delivery. He then kissed his wedding band to recognize the help and love of the individual who showed him perspective during this century dry spell, his wife Anushka.

In the last over, it seemed as though Kohli was simply showing off. There was a charge and a flick for a six, a no-look pull for a six, and afterward the extra-cover drive along the ground for four.

Bhuvneshwar runs through the batting

Things were only getting worse for Afghanistan. Bhuvneshwar’s fourth ball was the ideal delivery: pitching on leg stump, swinging against the point, hitting Hazratullah Zazai before leg stumps and would have proceeded to hit leg stump. Two balls later, he swung the ball the opposite way and passed through the door Rahmanullah Gurbaz introduced.

ALSO READ: ‘Surprised’ Kohli ends drought with his maiden T20 ton as India rout Afghanistan

In his second over, Bhuvneshwar created the outswinger-inswinger stunt once more. Karim Janat edged to slip, and Najibullah Zadran was late on an inswinger, caught right in front.

Bowling four on the run, Bhuvneshwar had Azmatullah Omarzai chip a slower ball directly to short cover. The five-for reduced Afghanistan to 21 for 6.

Ibrahim then scored a fifty yet that was just deferring the inevitable.

Rohit Sharma’s India have been criticised for ‘chopping and changing’ as they failed to reach the finals of the Asian Cup T20 tournament with one match to go.

Pakistan’s victory over Afghanistan on Wednesday eliminated India from the tournament. India, who won the last Asian Cup of 2018 in a 50-over format, qualified for the qualifying round as favourites but lost their first two matches to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“I think there was too much chopping and changing done after just one defeat, We lost against Pakistan and made three-four changes.”

former India wicket keeper Parthiv Patel told website Cricbuzz.

India’s tinkering didn’t just stop at the endgame. Dinesh Karthik was wicket-keeper in India’s first match win over Pakistan, but Rishab Pant was retained in the middle-order.

Karthik, a hard-hitting batsman who specialises in short-format finishers, missed both Super Four matches because the left-handed Pant was retained in the middle-order. 

“The consistency and the clarity of thought is so important, especially when you play this T20 format, Dinesh Karthik came in and he was left (out). Rishabh Pant came in and would be thinking whether I am a permanent member of the team or not.”

 said Patel

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar blamed an inability to be flexible with onfield plans for India’s disappointing results.

“Too much theory … is not a very good thing. What happens on the field is completely different, You have to have a Plan A, B and C, which is where the Indian team in this particular tournament has not had alternate plans. They seem to have been stymied when things started to unravel for them. Cricket is a game that changes in seconds, particularly the T20 format, and you’ve got to be ready for it.”

Gavaskar told India Today

Shami sidelined

India can start to set things right when they face Afghanistan in the Dead Rubber Super Four Asia Cup match in Dubai on Thursday.

They will have home series against Australia and South Africa to solidify the team’s plans before the T20 World Cup kicks off in Australia on October 16. India’s only success at the T20 World Cup came in the inaugural tournament in 2007, when Gavaskar implored the team to “see areas where they can improve and fill those gaps”.

India remains at the top of the rankings with its T20 team, but the International Cricket Council’s most recent title came with the 2013 Champions League trophy, which has consistently languished in international tournaments. India failed to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last year and lost in the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup in England in 2019.

But captain Rohit downplayed his side’s failure in the Asian Cup after Tuesday’s close loss to Sri Lanka.

“In tournaments like the World Cup, Asia Cup, here the challenge is you face different teams with different plans, But we should not think about it too much. Yes, pressure is there, and our work is to make the boys realise how to deliver in pressure situations.”

said Rohit

Former coach Ravi Shastri criticised the team’s decision and remained embarrassed by the elimination of veteran pace bowler Mohammed Shammi.

ALSO READ: PAK vs AFG: The heated after-match exchange

“I am completely amazed to see how Mohammed Shami has been sidelined by the current Indian team management and the selectors. The Indian bowling hasn’t looked that effective in this year’s Asia Cup, And a veteran like Shami should have certainly made it to the squad”

Shastri said on Star Sports

Injuries to pacemakers Jasprit Bhamra and Hershal Patel have turned India to Avesh Khan. Khan fell ill in Dubai and was not selected in his last two games.

Asia Cup 2022: Pakistan and Afghanistan delivered a nail-biting thriller in Sharjah in the Super 4 phase of the current Asian Cup on Wednesday. It won and secured a spot alongside Sri Lanka in the final. However, after the match, Sharjah’s cricketer’s stadium saw unpleasant scenes, including Afghan fans, clearly disappointed with the defeat, smashing chairs and attacking Pakistani fans.

In a video shared by former Pakistani pacesetter Shoaib Akhtar, an Afghan fan can be seen smashing a chair and throwing it at a Pakistani supporter.

“This is what Afghan fans are doing. This is what they’ve done in the past multiple times. This is a game and it’s supposed to be played and taken in the right spirit.@ShafiqStanikzai your crowd & your players both need to learn a few things if you guys want to grow in the sport,”

Akhtar wrote in a Twitter post

Shafiq Stanikzai, who happens to be the former president of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said that no one can control the emotions of fans and that the whole country should not be taken with him when discussing such incidents. Akhtar replied.

“You can’t control the emotions of the crowd and such incidents happened in the world of cricket multiple, you should go ask Kabir Khan, Inzimam Bhai and @iRashidLatif68 how we treated them. Am giving you an advice next time baat ko nation pe Mat lena,”

wrote Stanikzai

ALSO READ: Asia Cup: Pakistan beat Afghanistan in last over thriller

As for the match between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afghanistan batted first and scored 129/6 in 20 overs. Pakistan trailing 130, 16 overs put him over one with a score of 87/3. From then on, however, Pakistan fell apart and in his penultimate event he passed by 118/9.

They needed 11 to win the final and it was Naseem Shah who emerged as the Pakistani hero. 

After their establishing victory in the Asian Cup final, Pakistani players celebrated in ecstasy as well, with some wild scenes unfolding in Sharjah.

India failed to defend respectable totals in two consecutive games in the Asia Cup, and the country is on the verge of being eliminated from the continental competition’s Super 4 Stage. They failed to successfully defend 173/8 against Sri Lanka on Tuesday night after failing to successfully defend 181/7 against Pakistan on Sunday. India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave up 19 runs in the 19th over of the match with Pakistan. He let up 14 runs in the 19th over in the Sri Lanka game.

Both performances significantly reduced India’s chances of winning the respective games.

Ravi Shastri questioned Mohammed Shami’s removal from India’s selection before their Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka. Ravi Shastri, the former coach of the Indian cricket team, claimed the side needed at least one more good bowler after the defeat to Sri Lanka. Mohammed Shami was not selected, whilst Jasprit Bumrah missed the Asia Cup due to injury.

“When you need to win, you got to prepare better. I think the selection could have been better, especially for the fast bowlers, you know the conditions here. There wasn’t much for the spinner. I was quite surprised that you came here with just 4 fast bowlers. You needed that extra one. Someone like Mohammed Shami sitting at home and cooling his heels, baffles me. After the IPL he had, for him not to be able to make the cut is, obviously, I am seeing something different,”

Ravi Shastri said on Star Sports

“There should have been one extra fast bowler. One spinner less in the 15-16. You don’t want to be caught in a situation where one guy has a fever and then you have no one else to play with. You have to play another spinner which can be embarrassing in the end,”

he stated further

The Sri Lankans got off to an explosive start in the game, putting on 91 runs at a quick clip as openers Kusal Mendis (57 off 37 balls) and Pathum Nissanka (52 off 37 balls), chasing what appeared to be a par target at the innings break.

The fifty was reached in the sixth over thanks to both batsmen’ consistent and effortless hitting of the gaps and boundaries, which put a lot of pressure on the Indian bowling attack, which struggled to adjust to the two Lankan hitters’ optimistic batting style.

ALSO READ: Asia Cup 2022: Will Team India qualify for the final if Afghanistan defeats Pakistan in Super 4?

However, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had other ideas as he struck twice in the 12th over to put the brakes on Sri Lanka’s march.

Ravichandran Ashwin sent back Danushka Gunathilaka (1) to leave Sri Lanka in a spot of bother at 110 for three in the 14th over.

In the first ball of the next over, Sri Lanka suffered a body blow as Chahal got the big wicket of Mendis, who was trapped lbw in front of the wicket.

However, Sri Lanka’s captain Dasun Shanaka (33 not out) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25 not out) persevered until the end, winning the match with a 64-run fifth-wicket stand.

IND vs SL: Sri Lanka defeated India by six wickets in the Super 4 match at Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday. Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25 not out) and Dasun Shanaka (33 not out), on the fifth wicket he made a 64-run partnership to put Sri Lanka through. Kusal Mendis, on the other hand, was Sri Lanka’s top run scorer with 57 runs. Pathum Nissanka also helped the team’s cause with a 52-run knock.

In India, Yuzvendra Chahal was the bowler’s pick, going 34-3. Earlier, India had 173 for 8 on the board thanks to Rohit Sharma knocking off 72 runs off 41 balls. Rohit Sharma’s glorious 50 laid put India on solid ground but the side couldn’t make the most of it as Sri Lanka slammed in with regular wickets after the Indian skipper left. Dilshan Madhushanka claimed 3 wickets while Chamikakarna Ratne and Dasun Shanaka claimed 2 wickets each. Shanaka, the Sri Lankan captain, won the draw and chose to throw the ball first.

Rohit scored his 28th half-century for the Twenty20 International (T20I), but he became his third wicket, with Pacer Chamika Karunaratne numbering 13th with 110, followed by a Yadav 9 run through his Shanaka at medium pace in the 15th. . After a 30-year partnership lasting between Hardik Pandya (17) and Rishab Pant (17), Shanaka sacked the former at 18th place.

After that, the Indians regularly lost several wickets and were finally able to record a total of 173/8 just above average.

Pacer Dilshan Madushanka won his three wickets for Lanka and was also the frugal bowler on his side. In response, Lanka starters Pathum Nissanka (52) and Ksar Mendis (57) put pressure on the Indian bowlers early on and contributed to a 97-run winning streak.

Nissanka scored his T20I 50 for the sixth time, while Yuzvendra Chahal in leg spinner made a breakthrough with a wicket in his twelfth. Then Mendis reached the eighth T20I half-century as Lanka lost four quick wickets before losing a leg to Chahal for 110 in the fifteenth. ) contributed 64 runs to the standings.

ALSO READ: Can Hardik Become India’s 3rd Seamer In T20I?

With seven of the last six deliveries needed and pacesetter Arshdeep Singh assigned to defensive duties, Lanka got the job done with six wickets and one extra ball. For India, Chahal asked for three, but navigator Bubneshwar was frugal.

Short results: IND 173/8 (Rohit – 72, Yadav – 34; Madushanka – 3/24) lost to SL 174/4 by 19.5 overs (Nissanka – 52, Mendis – 57, Shanaka – 33*; Chahal – 3/34)). ) at 6 wickets.

The Super 4 Asia Cup clash between India and Pakistan on Sunday, will be remembered throughout the years for being a thrilling experience. From Virat Kohli’s big knock of 60 runs off 44 balls to Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan’s 71-run knock, which in the end assisted his side with securing a five-wicket win on Dubai’s ground. 

There were some key moments in the game, however India couldn’t win those small challenges within a challenge and eventually, the Babar Azam-led side triumphed ultimately. One such second was when India pacer Arshdeep Singh dropped a moderately easy catch of Asif Ali in the eighteenth over, and this prompted a huge momentum shift.

The fateful 18th over

In the eighteenth over which was bowled by Ravi Bishnoi, Pakistan needed 34 runs with Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali on the crease. On the third delivery, Asif played a compass shot and ball went out of sight and was seeming to be a simple catch for Arshdeep. However, fate had different plans coming up, as the ball went right through his hands, and Asif Ali survived.

Seeing this, India captain Rohit Sharma lost control over his emotions and he was left seething. Rohit’s irate response has now gone viral on social media, which prompted a mixed response from the public.

Prior, Arshdeep was backed by former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who expressed that nobody drops a catch deliberately and the young seamer ought not be reprimanded.

Discussing the match between India and Pakistan, the former was sent into bat and the side posted 181/7 in 20 overs. Virat Kohli top-scored with a knock of 60 off 44 balls.

Chasing 182, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan as he played a thump of 71 off 51 balls. In any case, the impact innings came from Mohammad Nawaz who went out to bat at No.4 and the left-hander proceeded to score 42 runs off 20 balls.

ALSO READ: IND vs PAK, Asia Cup: PAK wins by 5 wickets

For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh scalped one wicket each.

IND vs PAK, Asia Cup: Pakistan 182 for 5 (Rizwan 71, Nawaz 42) beat India 181 for 7 (Kohli 60, Rahul 28, Rohit 28, Shadab 2-31) by five wickets

Mohammad Nawaz paralyzed India with the bat after restricting them with the ball after a wild start to give Pakistan an outright exhilarating success in their Super 4 match against India. Seven days after India chased successfully in an undeniably exhilarating group-stage finish, Pakistan returned the favour, asking India to bat and returning home with only one ball to spare.

Mindful of the historical; advantage for pursuing sides in Dubai, India batted ultra-aggressively in the first half of their innings, however continued to lose wickets, which implied Virat Kohli, who made significant moves towards his best with a 44-ball 60, needed to play somewhat cautiously in the second half. On a belter, in spite of the great beginning, Pakistan yielded only 88 in the last 10 overs.

Mohammad Rizwan secured the chase with 71 off 51, however it was Nawaz who gave the frantically required force. Promoted to No. 4, he crushed 42 off 20 balls to return Pakistan on target. Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah then saw them home, however not without a ripple.

Chasing a target of 182, Mohammad Rizwan crushed 71 off 51 balls to move Pakistan to a five-wicket triumph over India in an Asia Cup Super-4 clash at the Dubai International Stadium. Pakistan had got off to a flimsy beginning after Babar Azam (14) was excused in the fourth over by Ravi Bishnoi. Fakhar Zaman terribly failed to make some meaningful difference as he was excused on a score of 15 by Yuzvendra Chahal. Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz then sewed a pivotal partnership, adding 84 runs for the third wicket. Both Rizwan and Nawaz (41) were dismissed one after another by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya, respectively.

With Pakistan needing 26 off the last two overs, Bhuvneshwar released 19 runs in the penultimate over as the match slipped away from India’s grip. Prior, Virat Kohli featured with the bat as India posted a strong total for an of 181 for seven of every 20 overs against Pakistan in the continuous Asia Cup Super-4 conflict. Pakistan started off strong in the chase, with Rizwan raising a ruckus around town ball for a boundary and Babar Azam also tracking down the boundary in the first over. Kohli hit a splendid 60 off only 44 balls, hitting four boundaries and six.

Kohli crossed the 50-run mark creaming a six over deep midwicket. He eventually got run out after a direct hit from the deep by Asif Ali. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul had before given a strong start, gathering 54 runs in the first five overs. However, India lost an exhibition of wickets, which dialled back their force in the centre overs. Ravi Bishnoi struck two significant boundaries, yet got some assistance from Fakhar Zaman, as India finished strong. Prior, Pakistan had won the toss and chose to bowl.

Pakistan were ahead in the 182-run pursuit for most part of the time however India kept the game on the edge with some great battle on the field. Nonetheless, they were Pakistan, who arose as the champ of the closely-fought match..

Pakistan got payback for the five-wicket loss versus India in their first challenge of Asia Cup 2022 as they beat India by the same margin in the Super 4 challenge against the arch-rivals on Sunday (September 4). There was a great knock played by Virat Kohli of 60 runs off 44 balls that included 4 boundaries and 1 six however it was topped by Mohammad Rizwan’s 71 off 51 balls. He was the central designer of Pakistan’s success over India in this game. Mohammad Nawaz hammered 42 off only 20 balls to emerge as a hero too.

India opener Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul pursued the Pakistani bowlers in the powerplay and added 54 runs in 5.1 overs when Rohit Sharma got out to Haris Rauf for 28 out of 16 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes. KL Rahul proceeded and pummelling 28 out of 20 balls with 2 sixes and 1 four.

Twitter was difficult on Arshdeep Singh and roasted the young pacer. 

Mohammad Rizwan’s 71 Leads The Chase As Pakistan Win By 5 Wickets

Mohammad Rizwan was the best player for Pakistan again as he pummelling his third successive fifty in the Asia Cup. He made 71 of every 51 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Babar Azam made 14 runs, however the best supporting trump came from Mohammad Nawaz who pounded 42 out of 20 balls, his best T20I score.

ALSO READ: Mushfiqur Rahim announces T20I retirement, wants to focus on Tests, ODIs, and Franchise cricket

In spite of losing crucial wickets, Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali hoped to take Pakistan to success when Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for 19 runs in the nineteenth over with 26 required in the last 12 balls.

The match went right down to the last possible second with the triumph coming on the penultimate ball, with 5 wickets close by. This ended India’s unbeaten Asia Cup competition as they hadn’t lost one match in the 2016 and 2018 releases, with one tie.

Captain Shakib Al Hasan warned Bangladesh that they should hold their feelings under wraps after rivals Sri Lanka defeated them out of the Asia Cup cricket following a harsh conflict of words. 

Sri Lanka won a do-or-die match in Dubai by two wickets and with four balls to spare on Thursday to move into the Super Four phase of the competition, a preface to the T20 World Cup. Before the clash the two sides exchanged verbal volleys in media meetings with Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka saying Bangladesh lacked top notch bowlers other than Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib.

Bangladesh team captain Khaled Mahmud hit back, saying: 

“I don’t see any (world-class) bowler in Sri Lanka as well… we have at least two.”

The clash of words moved to social media with former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene tweeting:

“Looks like it’s time for (our) bowlers to show the class and batters to show who they are on the field.”

Shakib denied after the loss that ended their Asia Cup hopes that the off-field prattle had impacted them, however admitted his Bangladesh team needed to play more with their heads.

“We are very emotional. That is the other area we need to improve, Keep our emotions on the side and play the way we need to play. More looking to give our head in the game than our heart in the game.”

Shakib said, with the World Cup in Australia on the horizon in October-November

Sri Lanka batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa offered a peace offering to the Bangladesh players and said Shanaka’s words were misjudged.

“The statement that the captain made, I don’t think he meant any wrong, Of course, when you compare the (dangerous) Afghanistan bowlers, what we meant was we had a slight advantage facing the Bangladeshi bowlers. Like India-Pakistan, Sri Lanka-Bangladesh is also a good rivalry, but we are friends off the field. Some words could hurt the players and hurt the staff. But what the captain meant was not what went through the media.”

Rajapaksa told reporters

 ‘Hook or by crook’ 

After a stormy build-up, Bangladesh posted 183-7, a total their bowlers failed to protect. The Sri Lankan lower-order needed to get 25 runs from the last two overs and acquired from the extra runs which came through wides and no-balls by the opposition bowlers.

Both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh lost their opening matches to Afghanistan, who cruised into the Super Four from the group. Rajapaksa said his team self-isolated after their eight-wicket hammering to Afghanistan – – the team they face again in the following round on Saturday.

“It was quite shameful for us, the 11 who played this game, and we were not expecting to be bowled out for 105. Of course Afghanistan is a pretty decent side when it comes to T20s but after the loss we went into a small shell for a couple of days, but we knew how to overcome that situation.”

said Rajapaksa

ALSO READ: ‘Won’t stay captain for long’: Hafeez on Rohit

The hard-hitting left-hander said Sri Lanka are savouring having another crack at Afghanistan, who have emerged as genuine title-contenders.

“What we planned was to beat Bangladesh by hook or by crook. We managed to win and the motivation that the players have is immense, so going forward into Super Fours it will be quite interesting.”

he said