India have been knocked out of the Asia Cup 2022 final race after Pakistan beat Afghanistan in last-over low-scoring thriller at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on September 7. The defending champions have been knocked out with a match still left to play for them at the Super 4 stage.
Before the Afghanistan vs Pakistan clash, India were dependent on results of other games to qualify for the final. Had Afghanistan beaten Pakistan, lost to India on September 7 followed by Sri Lanka beating Pakistan, India would have remained in contention. However, Afghanistan’s one-wicket loss led to them getting knocked out of the blockbuster Sunday final.
Now, India and Afghanistan will lock horns in a dead rubber encounter on September 7 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. On the other hand, on September 8, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play against each other in their last Super 4 game. They will also play the final on September 11.
Babar Azam-led side survived a serious scare as Afghanistan bowlers made the 130-run target look like a herculean task. In the end, Pakistan had just one wicket in hand and 11 runs to win from the last over. No.10 batter Naseem Shah stole victory from Afghan mouths with two consecutive sixes off Fazalhaq Farooqi to help his side cement their place in the final.
Earlier, India created a tough situation for themselves filled with unlikely scenarios after two consecutive losses at Super 4 stage. First, India lost to Pakistan as they failed to defend a target of 182. In the second game, India could not defend 174-run target against Sri Lanka. Both matches went down to the last over but India ended up losing the match.
This is the second Asia Cup that has been played in the T20I format. In 2016 edition of T20 Asia Cup, Pakistan and Sri Lanka could not reach the final under Shahid Afridi’s leadership.
