Sri Lanka capped their Asia Cup 2022 campaign in style as they humbled favourites Pakistan in the final by stitching together a combined team effort. The Lankan Lions clinched their sixth Asia Cup title after defeating the Men in Green by 23 runs in a captivating final.
Dasun Shanaka's men raised themselves from the dungeons to reach 170 for 6 from a hopeless 58 for 5 because of Bhanuka Rajapaksa's 45-ball-71. If that wasn't enough, Pakistan, who were cruising along at 93 for 2, were finally bowled out Pakistan for 147 as pacer Pramod Madushan (4/34 in 4 overs) and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (3/27 in 4 overs) ensured that the few thousands of Sri Lankan fans out cheered the 20,000 odd Pakistan fans.
After the match, former India captain Gautam Gambhir, who was part of the commentary panel, was spotted celebrating with the Sri Lankan fans. The former India opening batter waved the Sri Lankan flag in front of buoyant supporters just a few yards away from the boundary cushion.
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After the game, Sri Lanka's Asia Cup final hero Rajapaksa, who was absolutely elated by the team's success, dedicated the triumph to his countrymen.
"We always wanted to show the world - a couple of decades back, we had aggression in our side, and we wanted to create those moments (again) as a unit," a beaming Rajapaksa said at the post-match press conference.
"Looking forward, we want to keep up this momentum ahead of the World Cup. With the crisis happening back home, this is a tough time for all the Sri Lankans, but hope we brought some smiles on the faces of our people." This is to the whole nation; they were waiting for this for so long," he added.
