Twitter Reactions: Dominant Sri Lanka thrash Pakistan in dress rehearsal ahead of final

The final game of the Super Four between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was no less than a dress rehearsal because both the teams had already made it to the finals by winning their first two games against India and Afghanistan. This game helped the two prepare themselves for the summit clash and Sri Lanka went on to defeat Pakistan by five wickets, days before meeting them again on Sunday.

Although Pakistan played a steady innings, they were unable to capitalize on the wickets they had preserved earlier. Sharing six wickets between themselves, the Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Maheesh Theekshana trio stormed through Pakistan's lineup. The dot balls put even more pressure on Pakistan, and every time the batters attempted to go for the big shots, they were caught in the deep.

Pramod Madushan had a dream start to his career as he bagged the wicket of Mohammad Rizwan on his very first over of his debut game. Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman kept their places intact on the field but had trouble hitting boundaries. Pakistan’s middle-order lineup came crashing down when Hasaranga and Theekshana bagged back-to-back wickets.

The brilliant performances by the bowlers helped Sri Lanka dish out Pakistan for a low score of 121/10 without even letting them play their quota of 20 overs. Skipper Babar Azam was the top scorer for his side, having scored a 29-ball 30. Sri Lanka had a low total to chase, but their start was not how they desired it to be.

Sri Lanka survive a scary start to bag their fourth consecutive win

The in-form Kusal Mendis lost his wicket on just the second ball of the second innings, and Danushka Gunathilaka followed him soon after, losing his wicket to Haris Rauf in the very next over. Opener Pathum Nissanka’s boundaries in the fourth over helped Sri Lanka rise above the setback, but Haris Rauf struck again in the fifth over to send Dhananjaya de Silva walking back.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa joined Nissanka and the two anchored the innings and built up the game beautifully thereon. They kept going for the big shots while running between the wickets, and Sri Lanka was able to chase down more than half of the target within 10 overs. Usman Qadir got the big fish- Rajapaksa- out of the game, but Sri Lankan batters were unstoppable.

But not much was to be done towards the end. Sri Lanka was dominant from the start of the play, and they kept their good form going to finish off the chase very early. Dasun Shanaka got going as soon as he entered the crease, but before losing his wicket he had made the job, even more, easier for the batters. Hasaranga sealed the game by scoring the winning runs and Sri Lanka bagged a win with 18 balls to spare.