In the 3rd match of Super 4, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan secured a crucial five-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the Super Four stage of the Men's T20 Asia Cup. With both teams desperate to keep their tournament hopes alive after earlier losses, the Pakistani Captain, Salman Agha, won the toss and elected to bowl first, a decision influenced by the dew factor. Pakistan restricted Srilanka to 133/8 runs in 20 overs and chased down the total in the 18th over, 138/5. A brilliant performance by Pakistan in both departments, especially the all-round performance by Man of the Match Hussain Talat.
Sri Lanka Batting Struggles Again
Sri Lanka's innings got off to a shaky start as Pakistan's pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi struck early, removing Kusal Mendis on the second ball of the innings and Pathum Nissanka in the 3rd over of the match, and leaving the Lankans at 26/2. Afridi's fiery spell set the dominance in the powerplay, reducing Sri Lanka to 43/3. Hussian Talat came up with a brilliant over and gave Sri Lanka double damage, dismissing Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka on consecutive balls in the 8th over. By then, Srilanka's score was 58/5.
Kamindu Mendis emerged as Sri Lanka's saviour, anchoring the innings with a gritty 50 off 44 balls. His partnership with Chamika Karunaratne of 43 runs in 29 balls gave some stability to Sri Lanka, but not the score the winning total that Sri Lanka wanted. In the last 10 overs, Sri Lanka scored only 63 runs in the final 10 overs finishing at 133/8. Mendis half-century was the lone bright spot in an otherwise lackluster batting display by Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s Bowling: Relentless and Disciplined
Pakistan's bowling was clinical,with Shaheen Afridi leading the charge. His ability to swing the ball early really worked today and put Sri Lanka under by taking early wickets. He took 3 wickets in his 4-over spell and conceded 28 runs. The captain called him an asset to the team in the post-match. Hussian's wicket over broke Sri Lanka's back. He conceded 18 runs in his 3 overs and took 2 wickets. Abrar Ahmed tight lines, earning accolades in the pressure situation, he gave only 8 runs in his 4 over spell, took 1 wicket also, Harish Rauf complemented the attack and took 2 wickets for 37 runs in 4 4-over spell. Pakistan's every strategy worked out against Srilanka. Pakistan restricted them much below the best suitable score, and credit goes to the bowling department.
Pakistan’s Chase: Nawaz and Talat Seal the Win
Chasing 134, Pakistan started strongly with Sahibzada Frahan 24 off 15 and Fakhar Zaman 17 off 19, putting on 45 runs in 5.3 overs. However, Sri Lanka's spinner struck back with Maheesh Theekshana removing both the openers in quick succession. Wanindu Hasranga then dismissed Saim Ayub and Salman Agha, reducing Pakistan to 57/4 by the ninth over. Dushmantha Chameera dismissed Mohmmad Haris and left Pakistan reeling at 80/5, raising Lanka's hope.
However, Sri Lanka couldn't maintain consistent pressure. Mohmmad Nawaz attacked Hasranga effectively, smashing boundaries and shifting the momentum, and scored 38 runs in 24 balls with 3 fours and sixes, while Hussian Talat played a composed knock of 32 runs in 30 balls with 4 fours. The duo's unbroken 58 runs off 41 balls sealed the chase with 12 balls spare, finishing at 138/5 in the 18th overs.
Sri Lanka’s Bowling: Inconsistent Pressure
Sri Lanka didn't start well in the power play, but from the last over of powerplay to the 9th over, their spin duo Theekshana and Hasranga dominated and took 4 wickets and also put a break on runs. But after that they got only one wicket, and later Pakistan's batsman even attacked Hasranga. Hasranga and Theekshana took 2 wickets in their four-over spell and conceded 27 and 24 runs respectively, after them only Chameera got one wicket. The Sri Lankan bowling failed to create continuous pressure. Hasranga is their key bowler, even though he took 2 wickets, but they held him for last, but this strategy didn't work. Srilanka needed to continuously attack from their bowling department.
Looking Ahead
Srilanka lost the last two games because of their batting unit, as they performed below average. They have to win against the mighty Indian side, but they also have to pray for Bangladesh to win against India and Pakistan. This may be their way to the final, but this is not going to be easy.
Pakistan's bowling unit was brilliant today, but they need to work on their ability to not lose 4 wickets between 12 runs. They need to win their next match against Bangladesh, which will make a way for them to the finals.