Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 23 runs in final match to lift the 15th edition of Asia Cup trophy in style under Dasun Shanaka's leadership. Initially, Pakistan invited Sri Lanka to bat first and reduced them for a score of 58/5 as Lankan batters had no answers to the terrific bowling display from Pakistan. However, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga's partnership took them to a much competitive score of 170/6 in 20 overs. Despite a stunning effort from Pakistan bowlers, their fielders let down the team in a crucial situation and in the end, that poor fielding effort proved to be too costly for them.
Sri Lanka in the 2nd innings conceded 9 extras before bowling a single legal delivery but post that, their bowlers completely dominated the Pakistan batting attack and ensured they were never in this run chase despite a fifty-plus score from Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan-Iftikhar Ahmed partnership played a key role for Pakistan team to keep their hopes alive but post that 71-run partnership, none of the Pak batters from middle order took initiative to chase this total and Lankan bowlers kept taking wickets in regular intervals to put pressure on Pakistan.
Numbers and Stats from SL vs PAK final match:
1 - For first time, Sri Lanka have won a T20I match in 2022 while batting first.
Results of Sri Lankan team in 2022 T20I matches while batting first:
Lost to Australia by 6 wickets in Canberra
Lost to Australia by 6 wickets in Melbourne
Lost to India by 7 wickets in Dharamsala
Lost to India by 6 wickets in Dharamsala
Lost to Australia by 10 wickets in Colombo (RPS)
Lost to Australia by 3 wickets in Colombo (RPS)
Lost to Afghanistan by 8 wickets in Dubai (DSC)
Defeated Pakistan by 23 runs in Dubai (DSC)
2 - Only for 2nd time in a T20I innings, two different fifty-plus run partnership were recorded by a pair batting at 6th wicket (or) below. Rajapaksa-Hasaranga had a partnership of 58 runs between them, while Rajapaksa and Chamika Karunaratne had unbeaten 54 runs partnership between them.
Instances of two different batting pairs recording two fifty-plus partnership while batting at 6th wicket (or) lower:
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in Colombo (RPS), 2015
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan in Dubai (DSC), 2022
3 - Pramod Madushan became 3rd Sri Lankan bowler after Kaushalya Weeraratne and Nuwan Pradeep to take four-wicket haul vs Pakistan in men's T20I.
5 - Sri Lanka have ended up winning five consecutive matches against Pakistan in men's T20I.
SL vs PAK last five T20I results:
- SL won by 64 runs in Lahore, 2019
- SL won by 35 runs in Lahore, 2019
- SL won by 13 runs in Lahore, 2019
- SL won by 5 wickets in Dubai (DSC), 2022
- SL won by 23 runs in Dubai (DSC), 2022
5 - Kusal Mendis has recorded his 5th duck in T20Is overall. Interestingly, Fakhar Zaman also recorded his 5th duck in T20Is
Most ducks for Sri Lanka in men's T20I while batting at number 1 to 7 position:
Tillakaratne Dilshan - 10
Dasun Shanaka - 9
Thisara Perera / Kusal Mendis - 5
6 - Sri Lanka have won Asia Cup for 6th time overall.
Teams to win men's Asia Cup Titles most times:
India - 7 times
Sri Lanka - 6 times
Pakistan - 2 times
Years when SL men's team won Asia Cup:
1986 vs PAK in Colombo (SSC)
1997 vs IND in Colombo (RPS)
2004 vs IND in Colombo (RPS)
2008 vs IND in Karachi
2014 vs PAK in Mirpur
2022 vs PAK in Dubai
6 - Babar Azam in Asia Cup 2022 has smashed only 68 runs from 6 innings without a single fifty-plus score.
Most consecutive innings without a fifty-plus score for Babar Azam in T20Is:
Six innings from Sep, 2016 to Apr, 2017
Six innings from Sep, 2017 to Jan, 2018
Six innings in Asia Cup 2022
10 - Haris Rauf became 10th bowler to take 50 wickets for Pakistan in men's T20I.
Best bowling figure for Haris Rauf in T20Is:
4/22 vs NZ in Sharjah, 2021
3/29 vs NZ in Auckland, 2020
3/29 vs SL in Dubai (DSC), 2022
16 - Mohammad Rizwan has smashed 16 fifty-plus scores as wicket-keeper in T20Is.
Most fifty-plus scores as wicket-keeper in men's T20I:
Jos Buttler / Mohammad Rizwan - 16
Mohammad Shahzad - 13
Quinton de Kock - 11
Most runs in Asia Cup 2022:
Mohammad Rizwan - 281 (6 inns)
Virat Kohli - 276 (5 inns)
Ibrahim Zadran - 196 (5 inns)
Mohammad Rizwan and Virat Kohli are the only two batsman to smash three fifty-plus scores in Asia Cup 2022.
71 - Bhanuka Rajapaksa has smashed 71*(45) against Pakistan.
Highest Score by Bhanuka Rajapaksa in T20Is:
77(48) vs PAK in Lahore, 2019
71*(45) vs PAK in Dubai, 2022
53(31) vs BAN in Sharjah, 2021