Twitter Reactions: Mendis' class, Asalanka's composure set up Sri Lanka's rendevous with India in the big final

Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by two wickets in the fifth Super 4 match and qualified for the final of Asia Cup 2023.

By Rishabh Beniwal

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4 Min Read

Charitha Asalanka
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Charitha Asalanka. (Photo Source: ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan and Sri Lanka locked horns in the fifth Super 4 game in Asia Cup 2023 at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Thursday, September 15. After rain delayed the start of the match, the game was reduced to 45-over per side as the Pakistan captain won the toss and elected to bat first. However, they didn’t get off to a great start as opener Fakhar Zaman (4 off 11) lost his stumps against Pramod Madushan in the fifth over.

After the early blow, Babar Azam (29 off 35) and Abdullah Shafique (52 off 69) stabilized the innings with their 64-run stand. However, their partnership was broken by Dunith Wellalage who got Babar out stumped in the 16th over leaving Pakistan on 73/2. The Babar Azm-led side lost their way in the middle and was left reeling at 130/5 after 27.4 overs when rain interrupted again and the game was reduced to 42 overs per side.

After the play resumed, Mohammad Rizwan (86* off 73) and Iftikhar Ahmed got involved in a massive 108-run stand off 78 balls to bail their team out of trouble. Courtesy of their massive partnership, Pakistan posted a good total of 252/7 in their allotted 42 overs. Matheesha Pathirana finished as the pick of the bowlers as he registered figures of 3/65 in eight overs.

In reply, Sri Lanka lost their opener Kusal Perera (17 off 8) early in the innings due to an unfortunate runout. However, Pathum Nissanka (29 off 44) and Kusal Mendis stabilized the innings with their 67-run stand. The partnership was broken by Shadab Khan, who dismissed Nissanka in the 14th over to leave Sri Lanka on 77/2.

Iftikhar Ahmed's 3-fer brought Pakistan back in the game

However, Mendis (91 off 87) continued his brilliant knock and found a good partner in Sadeera Samarawickrama (48 off 41) with the duo adding 100 runs for the third wicket off 98 balls. Following their massive stand, Pakistan made a comeback and got four wickets to leave Sr Lanka on 243/7.

With eight runs needed off the last over, there was more drama to follow as the equation came down to six needed from two balls. However, Charith Asalanka (49* off 47) held his nerve to guide Sri Lanka to a thrilling two-wicket victory on the final ball of the innings and sealed their place in the final of the tournament. Iftikhar Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan with his spell of 3/50 in eight overs.

Meanwhile, X was buzzing with reactions on Sri Lanka’s victory. Here are some of the posts:

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Asia Cup 2023PakistanSri LankaIftikhar AhmedSadeera SamarawickramaCharith AsalankaKusal MendisMohammad Rizwan