Sri Lanka played very well, better cricket than us: Babar Azam

Pakistan faced a loss against Dasun Shanaka's Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match on Thursday, September 14. However, Skipper Babar Azam and his team found themselves falling short in multiple aspects, leading to an exit from the tournament.

The match, often said a virtual semi-final, witnessed Pakistan succumbing to a two-wicket defeat as Sri Lanka chased down a challenging target. It was a tense last over, with Sri Lanka needing eight runs to seal the deal. Zaman Khan gave his all, but Charith Asalanka stood tall, finishing unbeaten on 49, securing victory for his team.

Earlier in the game, Shaheen Shah Afridi emerged as Pakistan's hero, bowling a brilliant penultimate over. He took two wickets, dismissing Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage, while conceding just four runs.

Captain Babar Azam reflected on the match's result in the post match press conference, saying, "We just decided to bowl our best overs and asked Shaheen to bowl the second last over and believed in Zaman. Sri Lanka played very well, better cricket than us."

Azam acknowledged that Pakistan let the Sri Lankans build the momentum during the partnership between Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis, which yielded a big 100 runs for the third wicket. 

“We have not been up to the mark in the bowling and fielding. That is why we lost the match. In the middle overs, we did not bowl well. That partnership cost us. We started well, ended well, but middle overs were not great. We have lacked that,” he added.

Kusal Mendis was the best batter of Sri Lanka's innings, scoring an impressive 91 runs before being dismissed by Iftikhar Ahmed. However, his contribution had already paved the way for Sri Lanka's commanding position.

With this win, Sri Lanka secured their spot in the Asia Cup final and will face India in a much-anticipated showdown on Sunday, September 17. Notably, it's been nearly four decades since the Asia Cup's start, yet the cricketing world awaits a final clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan.