Winning a toss means little if a team plays with fire in their belly. The speciality of a champion team is to use all the weapons they have in their arsenal to thrash the opponent. In the Asia Cup final match, Sri Lanka did exactly that with surgical precision. Sri Lanka did not have any star players, but each player rose to the occasion.
They came out of the pressure. It was a great show of self-confidence. The way they began their journey in the Asia Cup, it was difficult for them to stay in the competition. They returned to the competition as well as won the trophy. Sri Lanka has always done well in the Asia Cup. India has the record of winning the tournament seven times. In terms of winning the cup, Sri Lanka now is close to its neighbour.
Other than Hasunga, there is no international player in the Sri Lanka team. Yet many players of the team performed like stars in the tournament. Kushal Mendes, Pathum Nisanka, Dasun Shanaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksha stood out as batters. Similarly, Dilshan Madushunka, Pramod Madushan and Mahish Thikshna bowled outstandingly to take the team to the final. The team lost seven matches after losing the toss, but they broke the records in the final match.
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The T-20 World Cup is going to be held in Australia next month. The team Sri Lanka has to play the qualifying round to enter the main tournament. Ergo, the team’s victory in the Asia Cup may turn out to be a booster for them. Otherwise also, as the team is in good form, it may not be a problem for them to play the T-20 World Cup.
The team has improved a lot in the past one year. And it happened at a time when the country is facing a financial crisis coupled with political turmoil. Because of the country’s financial condition, it could not host the Asia Cup which was to be shifted to UAE.
On the other hand, as far as the performance of the Pakistan team goes, it did not deserve to enter the final. They reached the final by a fluke. It has again come true that if the Pakistani team has to be defeated Babar has to be sent back to the pavilion early. Rizwan is batting well, but there may be a question mark on contribution to the team’s victory. Pakistan’s tail-enders are braggers. Impolite Asif Ali may boast about hitting 150 sixes in practice matches or Khushdil Shah who entered the field to tease the Afghanistan team after Pakistan’s victory in the semi-finals, but both India and Afghanistan played good cricket. Yet, the Sri Lankans proved that they were real winners. The team Sri Lanka deserves three cheers.
