Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 2 wickets in a thrilling Asia Cup Super 4 encounter at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday. Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 2 wickets in the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 match on September 14, 2023. Chasing a revised target of 252 in 42 overs due to rain, Sri Lanka rode on fifties from Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis to reach the finish line in the last over.
| Pakistan vs Sri Lanka | Asia Cup 2023 | Super 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Date | 14 September 2023 | |
| Venue | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | |
| Toss | Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field | |
| Result | Sri Lanka won by 2 wickets | |
| Pakistan | 252/7 in 42 overs | |
| Sri Lanka | 252/8 in 42 overs | |
| Player of the Match | Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka) |
Pakistan got off to a good start, with Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique putting on a 62-run opening partnership. However, both openers fell in quick succession, and Pakistan were reduced to 80/2. Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed then put on a crucial 108-run stand for the third wicket to revive Pakistan’s innings.
Pakistan Innings
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Haris | 26 | 33 | 2 | 0 |
| Imam-ul-Haq | 16 | 32 | 2 | 0 |
| Babar Azam | 22 | 33 | 1 | 0 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (c) (wk) | 86* | 93 | 11 | 1 |
| Saud Shakeel | 34 | 35 | 4 | 1 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 47 | 43 | 5 | 1 |
| Shadab Khan | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 9 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| Shaheen Afridi | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Mohammad Wasim Jr. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zaman Khan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Sri Lanka Innings
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | 27 | 40 | 4 | 0 |
| Kusal Mendis | 91 | 91 | 10 | 1 |
| Charith Asalanka | 49* | 42 | 4 | 2 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 36 | 30 | 3 | 1 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | 48 | 47 | 6 | 1 |
| Bhanuka Rajapaksa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chamika Karunaratne | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Dasun Shanaka (c) | 16 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dushmantha Chameera | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Rizwan went on to score an unbeaten 86, while Iftikhar contributed 47. Pakistan eventually finished on 252/7 in their 42 overs. For Sri Lanka, Matheesha Pathirana was the pick of the bowlers with 3/65.
Sri Lanka’s chase got off to a shaky start, with the hosts losing both openers within the first 10 overs. However, Samarawickrama and Mendis then put on a 127-run partnership for the third wicket to get Sri Lanka back on track. Samarawickrama was eventually dismissed for 48, but Mendis continued to bat aggressively and looked well on course for a century.
However, Mendis fell for 91 in the 37th over, and Sri Lanka were suddenly struggling at 205/5. Charith Asalanka then came to the rescue and played a brilliant knock under pressure. He scored an unbeaten 49 to guide Sri Lanka to victory in the last over.
For Pakistan, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed picked up 3 wickets each. However, it was not enough to prevent Sri Lanka from winning the match and reaching the final of the Asia Cup.
Sri Lanka’s victory was a well-deserved one. They showed great character to come back from a shaky start and chase down a challenging target. Mendis and Asalanka played outstanding knocks, and they were ably supported by Samarawickrama and the other batters.
Pakistan, on the other hand, will be disappointed with their performance. They lost too many wickets early on in their batting innings, and they were unable to defend their total in the end. Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed played well, but they needed more support from the other batters.
Fall of wickets
Pakistan
- 1-6 (Mohammad Haris, 1.6 overs)
- 2-18 (Imam-ul-Haq, 4.3 overs)
- 3-28 (Babar Azam, 6.4 overs)
- 4-90 (Saud Shakeel, 18.5 overs)
- 5-158 (Iftikhar Ahmed, 30.3 overs)
- 6-210 (Shadab Khan, 38.1 overs)
- 7-252 (Mohammad Nawaz, 41.6 overs)
Sri Lanka
- 1-53 (Pathum Nissanka, 10.6 overs)
- 2-117 (Kusal Mendis, 19.6 overs)
- 3-162 (Sadeera Samarawickrama, 29.5 overs)
- 4-201 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 36.3 overs)
- 5-204 (Chamika Karunaratne, 37.1 overs)
- 6-224 (Dasun Shanaka, 39.1 overs)
- 7-226 (Wanindu Hasaranga, 39.3 overs)
- 8-252 (Maheesh Theekshana, 41.4 overs)
Overall, it was a thrilling match between two evenly-matched teams. Sri Lanka deserved to win, and they will now be looking to lift the Asia Cup trophy in the final on Sunday.