Even before the commencement of the Asia Cup 2022, things were not going in favour of Sri Lanka. Cut to Sunday when Dasun Shanaka received the Asia Cup 2022 from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Shammi Silva after their 23-run triumph against Pakistan in the finals.
The island nation is under the grip of the worst economic crisis in its history. This economic crisis also affected the affairs of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the men's national cricket team.
The economic crisis also forced the Sri Lanka Cricket board to back out from hosting the 2022 Asia Cup as they were not in a position to host the intra-continental tournament. This saw the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) shifting the tournament to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
With the hosting rights taken away, the Sri Lankan cricket team, under the leadership of Dasun Shanaka faced odds against them. But how did the Lions overcome these and ended their campaign as Asian champions?
Rough Start To The Tournament
Before the beginning of the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan were deemed the favourites to win the title. The tournament began with Sri Lanka facing Afghanistan in the opener on August 27.
Sri Lanka's campaign started on a negative note with the Afghans defeating them by eight wickets. The performance against Afghanistan threw light on Sri Lanka's lacklustre batting and bowling as they were bowled out for 105 by the end of 20 overs.
The Afghans meanwhile ended the run-chase of 106 within 11 overs. They went on to beat Bangladesh by seven wickets and qualified for the super-four with two straight wins. Their performance was quick to remind people of fairytales, and underdog stories in sports.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka had the uphill task of defeating Bangladesh to ensure qualification for the super-four. India, Pakistan and Afghanistan's qualifications meant either Sri Lanka or Bangladesh could make it for the remaining spot.
The stakes were high with banter and exchanges between the two teams in the press conference before the match. The press conference banter prompted former captain Mahela Jayawardene to motivate the players to show their skills on the field.
Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by two wickets in the intense match, with Sri Lanka completing the run-chase in the final balls of the second innings. The heroics of Kusal Mendis helped Sri Lanka qualify for the super-four.
Victories In Super Four
Sri Lanka started the round-robin with Afghanistan. Dasun Shanaka won the toss and used it to Sri Lanka's advantage, opting to bowl first. The Lankans claimed victory in their first match, defeating the Afghans by four wickets.
The victory provided them with two points. These two points were crucial as they were now set to face India in the second super-four match.
After the defeat against Pakistan on September 4, India's chances for the super-four were dented. It was a must-win game against Sri Lanka to keep them alive for the finals race. Dasun Shanaka won the toss in this crucial fixture and opted to bowl first yet again.
There was yet another intense run-chase until the final balls of the innings with Sri Lanka completing their target of 174 in 19.5 overs to defeat India by six wickets. Sharma and co. were practically out of the finals race. Meanwhile, the two victories roughly confirmed Sri Lanka's berth in the Asia Cup finals.
Pakistan later defeated Afghanistan in another last-over run-chase with Nadeem Shah emerging as the hero for Pakistan. With the victory against India and Afghanistan, Pakistan also confirmed their seat for the Asia Cup final, paving way for the decider against Sri Lanka.
As part of the super-four round-robin fixtures, Sri Lanka and Pakistan met one last time before the finals on September 9. Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in what seemed like a trailer for the finals, set to take place in Dubai on September 11.
The Asia Cup Final
In the UAE, the coin toss before the start of the match often plays a key role. Out of the 13 matches played, 11 matches saw the team batting second win the game. In Dasun Shanaka's history during the Asia Cup, he won four out of five tosses.
This coincided with his record of victory as the only toss he lost was against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup opener. This was also the only match Sri Lanka lost in the tournament. Unfortunately, Dasun Shanaka lost the toss to Pakistan's Babar Azam who opted to bowl first.
The Pakistani bowlers utilised their advantage and were quick to dismiss the Sri Lankan batting top order. At a point, Sri Lanka stood at an alarming position of 58/5 by the end of nine overs.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga stepped up at a crucial time and rejuvenated the Sri Lankan batting inning with their 58-run stand. Rajapaksa went to complete his half-century. He remained unbeaten against the Pakistani bowlers, scoring 71 runs off 45 balls, helping Sri Lanka to end the 20 overs at 170/6.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan began the run-chase for Pakistan. Dilshan Madushanka started the second inning with the ball for Sri Lanka. Madhushanka went on for no-balls, wides, byes and overhead wides, providing nine runs to Pakistan with zero balls counted.
The Pakistanis had things going in their favour despite a negative start to the innings, up until Pramod Madushan stepped up for Sri Lanka. He bagged two consecutive wickets of captain Babar Azam and sent Fakhar Zaman for a golden duck in the very next ball.
The Lankans got their old tune back with the bowlers continuing to add pressure on the Pakistani batsmen. Mohammad Rizwan stayed firm at the crease but witnessed the fall of wickets in quick succession.
Rizwan made yet another half-century but was soon dismissed by the in-form Wanindu Hasaranga. His wicket made way for Sri Lanka to dismiss the remaining Pakistani batsmen.
Chamika Karunaratne bowled out Haris Rauf in 19.6 overs, ending Pakistan's inning at 147, confirming a 23-run victory for Sri Lanka in the finals of the Asia Cup. An ecstatic Dasun Shanaka stepped up for Sri Lanka and received their sixth title from SLC president Shammi Silva, providing a joyous moment to the island nation and its people.
Wanindu Hasaranga was awarded the Player of the Tournament. Bhanuka Rajapaksa's 71-run knock won the Player of the Match award as it helped Sri Lanka set a target of 171 in the finals. His knock also received praise from Pakistan's head coach Saqlain Mushtaq.