In the decisive match of the 2022 Asia Cup, Sri Lanka set Pakistan a 171-run goal thanks to Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 71 off 45 balls.

Babar Azam, who had won the toss at the beginning of the game, asked Sri Lanka to bat first.

By the end of nine overs, Pakistani bowlers had reduced Sri Lanka to 62/5, and it appeared that Pakistan would ultimately receive a below-par target.

But Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva’s 58-run partnership gave Sri Lanka the perfect springboard to set a challenging goal. After Hasaranga de Silva, who was the aggressor, was removed by Haris Rauf in the 15th over, the partnership came to an end.

Rajapaksa was prepared to mount a counterattack against the Pakistani bowlers by the time the sixth wicket fell. At the conclusion of their 20 overs, Sri Lanka had reached 170/6 thanks to his 54-run partnership with Chamika Karunaratne.

With three wickets, Haris Rauf led Pakistan’s Men in Green in wicket-taking. While Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, and Naseem Shah only managed to claim one wicket each.

Playing XI

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka.