Sri Lanka stunned Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup 2022 on September 11. Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka showed tremendous character to defeat the star-studded Pakistan team by 23 runs. Sri Lankan fans in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium burst into jubilant celebrations following their team’s surprise win. However, the celebrations of Afghanistan fans have grabbed the headlines following Pakistan’s defeat.
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Afghanistan’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, M Ashraf Haidari, shared a delightful video of the euphoric celebrations of Afghan fans in the streets of Khost. After the match got over, Ambassador Haidari tweeted the joyous video and wrote, “Afghans across the world celebrate the well-deserved Asia Cup Cricket Championship victory by the great team of Sri Lanka. This is just one scene in Khost.”
Afghans across the world celebrate the well-deserved #AsiaCupCricket Championship victory by the great team of Sri Lanka @OfficialSLC. This is just one scene in Khost. Diversity, democracy and pluralism, and sports against intolerance and terrorism underpin the 🇦🇫🇱🇰 friendship. pic.twitter.com/2G8hg9GsSd
— Ambassador M. Ashraf Haidari (@MAshrafHaidari) September 11, 2022
Several Afghan fans have replied to Ambassador Haidari’s tweet and poked fun at the Pakistan team.
The odds were heavily in favour of Pakistan when their skipper Babar Azam won the toss and opted to field. Teams batting first have generally ended up on the losing side. Therefore, many fans felt that it would be very difficult for Sri Lanka to put up a decent total on the board and then defend it. At one point in time, Sri Lanka was reeling at 58/5 in the 9th over. However, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga stitched together a crucial partnership to bring Sri Lanka back into the game. Punjab Kings’ Bhanuka Rajapaksa played a stellar knock of 71 runs off just 45 balls to propel Sri Lanka’s total to 170 runs.
In the second innings, Pakistan got off to a horrendous start with Pramod Madushan dismissing both Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman cheaply. Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed tried to salvage the match by putting together a valuable partnership. But Sri Lankan bowlers showed great mental fortitude and persisted with their disciplined bowling. The Sri Lankan team also put up an inspired display of fielding. Ultimately, the Pakistan batters choked under pressure and finished at 147 runs in their 20 overs. Pundits have been astonished to see Sri Lanka’s remarkable game awareness in a high-pressure match. In this Asia Cup, the Sri Lankan team has played like a unit under skipper Dasun Shanaka. With the T20 World Cup round the corner, the Sri Lankan team management will be looking to continue with their fearless brand of cricket.
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