Asalanka and Mendis lead Sri Lanka charge to Asia Cup final after heart stopper against Pakistan. – By TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.(Elanka Sports Editor)
Charith Asalanka provided heroics that will be long remembered as Sri Lanka scrambled into the Asia Cup final after a heart stopping last ball victory over Pakistan in Colombo.
The plucky allrounder set Sri Lankan hearts ablazing when he smashed a four and two in the last two balls when all seemed lost, and the country erupted in wild celebration as they beat fancied Pakistan and the odds pre tournament.
Asalanka was 49 not out after edging the last two balls past the wicket keeper for four and to midwicket for two to clinch a place for his country in the final.
Earlier, Pakistan’s batters negotiated the the Sri Lanka quicks with caution. They were in a perilous 130 for 5 in the 28th over. But were rescued by Mohamed Rizwan 82 off and Iftikhar Ahmed 47off 40 who added 108 for the sixth wicket taking them to relative safety and a near par total.
In a titanic tussel that went down to the wire, Sri Lanka’s batters held their nerve to forge an unlikely comeback to enter their eleventh Asia Cup final, against India on Sunday. The game was restricted to 42 overs due to rain restriction and Sri Lanka’s target was 252 which they achieved off the last ball.
In many ways the result was justified with the Pakistanis nursing injuries to key bowlers and playing under par for a team ranked number one in the world prior to this tournament.
Sri Lanka in contrast were not rated highly going into this edition, but fooled all the naysayers with good leadership and controlled approach of the task ahead.
The call by fence sitters among Sri Lanka fans for the axing of skipper Dasun Shanaka is absolutely unjustified right now as he has shown tremendous leadership qualities in this tournament.
Yes, Shanaka has failed with the bat throughout and before the Asia Cup, but his gut feel decisions have borne fruit in many games, particularly against India in a game they should have won if the batsmen delivered all expectations.
There’s something about the mindset of Sri Lanka against India that is concerning in this respect. And unless the psychology and unrelated issues are addressed and dealt with, the final could be a foregone conclusion.
Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrema and reliable anchorman Charith Asalanka paved the way for a gutsy win over Pakistan. And the whole of Sri Lanka breathed a sigh of relief when they delivered when it mattered.
Pathum Nissanka made 29, Sadeera Samarawickrema 48 off 51 balls, but it was Kusal Mendis who once more breathed belief into Sri Lanka’s batting with another sensational 91 off 87 balls with 8 fours and a six. Asalanka the added the icing on the cake.
After the early departure of Kusal Janith Perera against a tight Pakistan attack, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis batted on grimly to hold things together before steering the team to a position of strength. Sadeera Samarawickrema and Charith Asalanka then provided the foundation for victory which was scary and numbing as the desperate Pakistanis led by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Iftikhar Ahmed threatened to rip through the bottom order and seal an unlikely win.
Sri Lanka slumped from 5 for 222 to 9 for 243 and was perilously close to blowing it when Asalanka held out with Matheesha Pathirana to see them through in a thriller.
Sunday’s final will prove mental capacity of Sri Lanka’s emerging team packed with youth and experience against a professional Indian team with a wealth of talent.
They were challenged by the plucky Lankans when they last met . Can Sri Lanka repeat that performance and maintain their dominance at the Asia Cup is the question that will be answered.
If sport is the ultimate determining factor, an upset is not out of all calculations.
