Battle to rule Asia

Pakistan and Sri Lanka to play the final in Dubai on September 11

The Asia Cup 2022 is set to conclude today (September 11) with the final between the home team Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The tournament is being originally hosted by Sri Lanka but it has been organised in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of political turmoil in the country.

The competition started with the qualifying phase in Oman where minnows tried their luck to cement their place in the main round alongside the other five teams.

The final is going to be a surprising one considering many thought it would be an Indo-Pak affair but it not turned out to be.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka entered the contest as slight underdogs after not being in great form in the T20Is. The Islanders have won the least amount of matches (17) out of all the Test-playing nations in the 20-over format since the start of 2019, despite playing 53 matches.

Their tournament started in a similar manner as many would’ve feared where Afghanistan just thrashed them with eight wickets and chased down the target in less than 11 overs.

However, from there, Sri Lanka managed to recover and won three consecutive matches against Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India to book their place in the final of the competition.

One of the primary reasons for Sri Lanka’s emergence in this competition is the batting form of captain Dasun Shanaka who has been extremely impressive in the later stages of the innings and was crucial in the team’s all three successes while chasing.

This is not the first time that Shanaka has showcased his talent while chasing as, since 2019, he averages 45.25 in successful chases with strike-rate of 147.15, fifth-highest amongst all the captains from Test-playing nations who led their teams in at least five matches.

Highest averages of captains in successful run-chases (since 2019)

*min 5 matches

Other than the form of the captain, Kusal Mendis has been extremely impressive as well who has been amongst the leading run-getters for the side in the competition.

Moreover, one of the players who has been extremely impressive for Sri Lanka in this tournament is left-arm pacer, Dilshan Madhushanka, who has not only bowled exceptionally well with the new ball but has also been more than handy in the death overs.

However, one of the areas of concern for the Islanders, that too surprisingly has been their spin attack where the likes of Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva have failed to impact the games like it was expected of them.

The fans will be hoping that will change come the big day as both have remained vital for the team’s success in white-ball cricket in the last 12 months.

Pakistan:

Pakistan entered the competition as one of the favourites, largely because of their performances in the UAE during the 2021 International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup where they remained unbeaten in the group stage and only lost to eventual winners Australia in the semi-finals.

Overall, in the tournament, the Men-in-Green remained in sublime form even though they went on to lose to arch-rivals India in their opening fixture and had a hard time beating Afghanistan.

Before the tournament started, Pakistan lost out on the services of star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim Jnr but that seemingly did not affect the overall bowling unit, largely because of the heroics of the likes of Naseem Shah.

The 19-year-old has proved to be a breakout star for the Green Caps as he has been in simply outstanding form throughout the tournament, and not just with the ball in hand.

His two maximums against Afghanistan on two consecutive deliveries will remain fresh in the memories of the Pakistan cricket fans as he took the team home at a time when all seemed lost.

Other than him, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain and Shahnawaz Dahani have been equally impressive whereas the spin department looked perhaps the best in the competition where Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz not only provided wickets but also kept things extremely tight.

In terms of the batting, there is a clear problem as two out of the top three, captain Babar Azam and experienced Fakhar, have found it hard to get going.

Even though Babar, statistically, has been in worse form in the competition but it is the left-hander’s output which remains a major concern.

Zaman has been not only short of runs but has also looked short of confidence, something which was evident in the second India-Pakistan fixture where he conceded eight runs on the final two deliveries due to poor fielding where it should have been just one.

Not only that, but his lacklustre running in the match against Afghanistan also cost the team and raise a few more eyebrows about his place in the starting XI.

With the start of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 less than two months away, the fans are hoping that the duo will return to their very best in the near future.

But their lack of runs also allowed the team management to test the other batters in a tournament as competitive as this which is a good thing.

Venue:

Dubai International Cricket Stadium will be the venue for the grand finale. It is one of the most frequently used venues for the T20Is. Before Friday’s fixture, 82 matches have been played where the team batting first won 37 times whereas the team batting second emerged victorious on 45 occasions.

Before Friday, the average first innings score at the venue has been on the lower side which is just 137 but in this tournament, it has been 170.

History

Both teams have competed 21 times in the history of T20 cricket before Friday where the Men-in-Green had a clear edge with 13 wins compared to eight victories of the Islanders.