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PAK vs SL Highlights: Last night’s Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 match turned out to be an absolute thriller. It all came down to the last two overs. ‘Wrecker-in-chief’ Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed two Lankan batters in two balls in the second last over to set up a nail-biting final over. Pacer Zaman Khan, making his debut for Pakistan, had to save 9 runs in the final over to take his team to the Asia Cup 2023 Final.
Luck favored Charith Asalanka (49)* as he held onto his nerves to take Sri Lanka to the summit clash. In the second-last ball of the final over, a big thick outside edge went for a boundary. Two runs were needed off the final delivery. A gentle flick hit into the gap ensured a memorable win for the defending champions.
As Pakistan missed out on setting up a first-ever India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Final, captain Babar Azam said that Sri Lanka won as they played better cricket than them. After Pakistan’s heartbreaking loss, Babar reflected on the areas where they fell short and the management’s decision to not include in-form bowler Iftikhar Ahmed in playing XI.
“In the end, we decided to bowl our best bowlers. That’s why I decided to bowl Shaheen and then we believed in Zaman Khan for the final over. SL played really well, they played better cricket than us, that’s why they won.
“We weren’t up to the mark with our bowling and fielding, that’s why we lost. In the middle overs, we are not bowling well. That partnership (between Mendis and Samarawickrama) cost us. We are starting well, we are finishing well, but we are not taking wickets in the middle,” Babar said after the match.
Sri Lanka, Asia Cup defending champions, will now square off against mighty India in Sunday’s blockbuster Asia Cup 2023 match at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium.
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