Sri Lanka had an off start to the Asia Cup 2022 when they lost to Afghanistan in the group stage. The loss almost knocked them out of the tournament until they defeated Bangladesh in a close finish. Ever since then, the graph has only gone upwards for the team. Sri Lanka now has 4 back to back wins leading to the finals. The team is just one win away to claim the title of the Asia Cup 2022.
Ahead of the final game, Shanaka said, “As a team, we are very excited to play the final, and Pakistan is a very good team. All matches have been nail-biters and we are looking forward to the final. As a tournament, looking back, this has been one of the best Asia Cups we have had and we are looking forward to the final.”
In the last game of the super 4 stages, Pakistan was defeated by Sri Lanka. Pakistan struggled with the bat and was all out for 121, the target was comfortably chased by Sri Lanka. The 2 times winner, Pakistan will be hoping to learn from the mistakes they’ve made so far in the tournament. The team will want their captain Babar Azam to score some runs in the biggest game of the tournament. In Asia Cup 2022, Babar Azam has played 5 games and has only managed to score 63 runs.
The hosts of the tournament Sri Lanka are looking for a great side with contributions from everyone. They are the second most successful Asian team with 5 trophies in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, and 2014. Looking at the record of both the teams against each other, they’ve faced each other 16 times. In these 16 times, Sri Lanka has an upper hand with 11 wins and Pakistan with 5. Additionally, this is the fourth time they will face each other in the finals. Pakistan last won the Asia Cup a decade ago in 2012.