In the finals of the Asia Cup, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first. The decision to bowl first was really good for them and they reduced the Sri Lankan to 58/5. But for 6th wicket partnership between Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga of 58 runs brings Sri Lanka back into the game. Rajapaksa scored 71 runs in just 45 deliveries and set the target 170 runs for Pakistan. When Pakistan came to bat, their player constantly felt the psychological pressure of big total. Mohammad Rizwan, the best performer throughout the Asia cup 2022, played a scratchy knock of 55 runs in 49 balls. At the same time, none of the Pakistani players tried to attack from another end, so Pakistan’s innings never got any momentum. As a result, Pakistan lost the match by 23 runs. After losing the blockbuster Asia Cup final on Sept. 11, Captain Babar Azam and his teammates getting continuously trolled on every social media platform.
Several cricket pundits and fans questioned Pakistan’s tactic of chasing the total in the second innings. The former Pakistani skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, while speaking on the YouTube channel, he praised the knocks by Rajapaksa and Hasaranga. He mentioned that Sri Lanka could have been restricted on 140.
“Hasaranga scored 36 runs, and Rajapaksa scored 71; those were two great knocks. The pace at which the runs were made and in the situation they were made was a great sight. Had that 70 runs come at a slower pace, the total would only have been around 140, which Pakistan would have chased down. So, that 70 runs would have been useless,”
said Inzamam-ul-Haq.
He has not stopped yet; he praised the Sri-Lankan team for doing their homework and criticized the Babar’s team approach while chasing 170 runs.
