Nobody anticipated Sri Lanka to win the Asia Cup in 2022, according to projections. Pakistan was a close second for most people’s obvious favorites, India. However, a tough and tenacious young Sri Lankan squad disproved everyone.
Sri Lanka maintained their spotless record all through the Super 4 phase and carried it into the Finals to earn the Asia Cup championship. After their disastrous performance against Afghanistan in their first game, the Chris Silverwood-coached team was not seen to be a contender. The squad still hasn’t even guaranteed themselves a spot in the T-20 World Cup, which begins on October 10 in Australia.
Sri Lanka won the Asia – Cup 2022 with a score of 23 runs against Pakistan at the Dubai World Stadium today. Pakistan won the toss earlier today and immediately decided to send Sri Lanka into the bat. As chasing had such a significant lead in Dubai, it was good news for Pakistan. Sri Lanka was once in trouble at 58 to 5. But a counterattacking Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Chamika Karunaratne added 58 runs together before forming an unbroken 54-run partnership. Bhanuka Rajapaksha tops the scoreboard with 71* after playing a superb inning (45). Pakistan only managed to score 147, thanks in large part to the outstanding bowling of Sri Lanka. Pamod Madushan took four wickets for Sri Lanka and scored 34 runs, while star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga claimed three for the country.
Before the event, many cricket experts had written off Sri Lanka, but they emerged as a force to be reckoned with and defeated their competitors from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. We examine the main causes behind Sri Lanka’s sixth Asia Cup victory in this post.
Dilshan Madushanka’s rise to fame
The injury that prevented Dushmantha Chameera from competing dealt a severe blow to Sri Lanka. As Chameera was in charge of the pace batteries for a while, it was among the factors that led to many people writing Sri Lanka off.
An opening on the squad resulted from Chameera’s absence. Dilshan Madushanka did a fantastic job of filling that gap. The tournament’s greatest plus for the islanders was the left-arm pacer. Along with tournament participant Wanindu Hasaranga, he had the most dismissals for Sri Lanka with six.
With the new ball as well as the slog overs, Madushanka was a fantastic asset again for Lankan Lions. He can throw the ball in any direction since he is swift. To its credit, he managed to dismiss Virat Kohli, perplexed Babar Azam both in the Super Four as well as the Final, and garnered Wasim Akram’s respect by drawing comparisons between him and Sri Lankan star Chaminda Vaas.
Under pressure, the batters delivered
Sri Lanka’s freshly formed opening combination of Pathum Nissanka & Kusal Mendis showed their mettle in the crucial Super Four round of the competition after having trouble in the group stage. For Sri Lanka to mount its significant run chases versus India and Afghanistan, both openers contributed stability at the top of the order.
When the side was in a precarious situation, the lower order then took effect to aid in recovery. The standout players in Sri Lanka’s excellent campaign were its captain Dasun Shanaka as well as the powerful batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa. Although they both had strike rates in the low 140s, the duo showed courage and scored some crucial runs for their team.
In the previous game, their bottom order showed grit by helping Rajapaksa escape a precarious situation and achieve a difficult score. Hasaranga and Karunaratne also contributed to Rajapaksa’s success.
Dasun Shanaka’s superb management style
After some years, the Lankan Lions now seem like a team capable of taking down big international competitions. Dasun Shanaka deserves a great deal of credit for this since he recognized each player’s potential and emphasized their respective strengths. Shanaka has shown to be an outstanding leader in white-ball cricket since taking over as captain as he has already gained a series versus Pakistan, Australia, and India.
When Sri Lanka fell to Afghanistan in the first round of the just-ended Asia Cup, their season got off to a bad start. In a game they had to win against Bangladesh, they made a tremendous comeback to advance to the Super Four stage. Sri Lanka finished the continental competition unblemished with this victory.
The judgments Shanaka took just on the field were generally correct, which had an impact on how well his team performed. As a vice-captain, removing Charith Asalanka was indeed a courageous move, and Shanaka made it at the appropriate moment, demonstrating his ability to make excellent decisions as a leader.
Fiscal Crisis
What relevance does it have to your performances?
We’ve been constantly observing the Sri Lankan squad ever since the onset of the economic crisis. In the T20 series with Australia, they came close to victory. They drew the test series, however, they did win the ODI series against Australia. By the way, it is a good Australian team. In the middle of the crisis, saw a desire in SL to offer some pleasure and amusement to the populace.
Expectations
Pakistan and India are unquestionably two of the top favorites to win the Asia Cup. Other teams weren’t given a shot. In actuality, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka both received 0% chances! You just have to express yourself in public as a Sri Lankan squad member.
Multi-talented athletes
To win major tournaments, it is thought that you often need players with a variety of skills (Not always the most competent). In one of the responses, people emphasized this issue. Sri Lanka had several talented players in the 2022 Asia Cup, including Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, & Dasun Shanaka. Several of their players, including Kusal Mendis, Patthum Nissanka, and all of the new face bowlers, also outperformed expectations. Sri Lanka benefited much from it in the end.
Given what they’ve been going through at home in regards to their economic situation, one can only be thrilled for Sri Lanka capturing the Asia Cup through cricket breaking news. Before the T20 Cup Final main round, they will now begin their qualifying campaign in the following month. They ought to have no issue making it to the Super 12s level and might make another push for the Semi-Finals if they keep playing the way they have.
