In a stunning turn of events at the Asia Cup 2023 final held in Colombo, Sri Lanka found themselves on the brink of an agonizingly massive defeat. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Islanders quickly crumbled, losing seven wickets for a mere 39 runs within just 12 overs.
The opening blow for Sri Lanka came when Kusal Perera fell victim to Jasprit Bumrah’s relentless bowling, caught by the wicketkeeper on only the third ball of the match. Yet, it was Mohammed Siraj who emerged as the chief tormentor for the Lankans. Siraj, building upon Bumrah’s early breakthroughs, proceeded to claim the next six wickets, often rendering the Sri Lankan batsmen utterly helpless.
The most devastating display of Siraj’s prowess occurred in the fourth over of the innings, during which he snatched four crucial wickets. Sri Lanka’s batting order lay in tatters, leaving them facing a formidable challenge to salvage the match’s competitiveness.
Prior to this disheartening performance, Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka had won the toss and elected to bat first against India. The match’s commencement was delayed due to a wet outfield, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
The home team made a singular alteration to their lineup, introducing all-rounder Dushan Hemantha in place of the injured Maheesh Theekshana. The tournament had been plagued by rain, a precursor to the forthcoming ODI World Cup, with more ominous forecasts for Sunday evening.
Sri Lanka had entered the final as underdogs but managed to prevail over Pakistan in their last Super Four encounter, thus earning the opportunity to face India in the final of the 50-over tournament. It is worth noting that Sri Lanka had emerged victorious in the previous Asia Cup, albeit in the T20 format.
In the Indian camp, Washington Sundar had been drafted in to replace the injured Axar Patel, who had suffered an injury during India’s inconsequential Super Four match against Bangladesh at the same venue. Sundar, a left-handed batting off-spinner, joined the team just a day before the crucial final.
India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, harbored ambitions of extending their Asia Cup title count to eight, across both ODI and T20 formats. The return of stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, after a period of rest, added to India’s formidable lineup.
A reserve day, scheduled for Monday, stood ready in case of rain-induced delays, as the cricketing world awaited the thrilling conclusion of this high-stakes encounter.
Teams:
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
Umpires: Ahmed Shah Pakteen (AFG), Richard Illingworth (ENG)
TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney (NZL)
Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
By AFP
