Sri Lanka are set to face off Pakistan in the final clash of the Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday.
Team Sri Lanka will want to retain the momentum from the previous match that it won by five wickets on Friday. On the other hand, the Babar Azam-led will aim for a comeback to clinch the title.
When it comes to Sri Lanka, two right-handed openers, Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka have been positively personified at the top while the likes of Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shanaka himself, and Chamikaatne Karunaratne have all made runs when they mattered the most.
A case in point is how they chased down a target of 70-odd against Afghanistan, where none of the batters scored more than 35, but all of them made those runs at a strike rate of 150 plus.
In the five games so far, the Sri Lankan batters have hit 28 sixes and 62 fours, which gives a story of their approach.
In bowling, Mahesh Theekshana has come up as a potent spin bowling partner of Wanindu Hasaranga, while Dilshan Madhushanka has shouldered the responsibility of the lead pacer quite admirably.
In comparison, Pakistan have made it to the finals but skipper Babar's form has deserted him throughout the tournament. 63 runs from five games aren't something one expects from a player of his calibre.
Pakistan's strength is their bowling attack that has Naseem Shah, showing improvement with each passing day, along with Harris Rauf and Mohammed Hasnain.
The two spinners, leg-break bowler Shadab Khan and left-arm orthodox Mohammed Nawaz, have also been very impressive.
Sri Lanka last won the Asia Cup title in 2014. Apart from that, they have lifted the trophy in 1986, 1997, 2004, and 2008.
On the other hand, Pakistan last won the title in 2012. Before that, they won the title just once, in the year 2000.
Teams:
Sri Lanka:
Dasun Shanaka (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Ashen Bandara, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama, Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwanidu Fernando and Dinesh Chandimal.
Pakistan:
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Mohammed Hasnain, Hasan Ali.
