PAK VS SL T20I

Dasun Shanaka has been handed over the trophy! He joins his team and they celebrate the victory. Right then! That's it from this enticing final and this exciting series as well. Sri Lanka have won their 6th Asia Cup and they have given their fans back home a lot to cheer about. A country that has been going through tough times, this victory will bring them a certain amount of joy. This win will also give them the much-needed confidence before the mega event in October. We still have plenty of cricket action around the globe, keep your eyes on our fixtures page and enjoy the action for the upcoming matches. It's goodbye from here!

Dasun Shanaka the skipper of Sri Lanka starts by thanking the fans, and he dedicates the trophy to everyone in Sri Lanka. Adds that Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga made a huge impact while batting, which really helped them. Says that the last ball six was a game-changing moment as they reached the 170 mark. A target of somewhere near 160 is always chaseable and that's the mindset. Further says that after their first game they had a serious discussion, and they discussed every player's role in the team. Adds that they were spot on in the field and he is happy to put on such a performance in the finals. Ends by thanking the board and all the selectors for their support.

Babar Azam the captain of Pakistan congratulates Sri Lanka on what they did after they were 5 down for 58. Adds that their fielding was not up to the mark and the middle order batting need to do well. Further says that there are ups and downs in the game and they need to take it positively. Says that they need to learn from their mistakes and he is happy with the performances of Mohammad Rizwan and Naseem Shah.

Wanindu Hasaranga is the Player of the Series. He says that when he came out to bat they had lost 5 wickets and he spoke to Bhanuka Rajapaksa about getting close to 150 and he knew his role while batting. Adds that he loves bowling in the sub-continent region. Mentions that he tries to bowl at the stumps, he was not thinking about getting hit for boundaries and so he got three wickets in the over. Ends by saying that all the boys have played amazing cricket, and to lose the first game and then come and win the tournament is special.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa is the Player of the Match. He says that It was not easy but they did well. Adds that they had their plans which made them reach a total of 170 when they were 67 in the 10th over. Mentions that he thought 140 was a good score but he was thrilled to get much more than that. Further says that they approached in a positive way and he is happy with the way he played.

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Mohammad Rizwan is down for a chat. On being asked about the toss, he says that if a team thinks about the toss, they are not a champion team and that's what Sri Lanka did. They did not think once about losing the toss. Adds that Sri Lanka played like true champions, they deserve to win. Adds that they put them under pressure at key moments and won the match. Mentions that they made some mistakes and Sri Lanka took advantage of that. Adds that they took away the momentum from them in both the innings.

Chamika Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva are down for a chat. Chamika Karunaratne says that they are a team filled with youngsters and it feels so good to win the game. Says that they had encouragement from their coaches and they won it and they feel very happy. Dhananjaya de Silva says that they were practicing and were ready for any game. Adds that they had a good captain and a coach and they played according to what they had planned.

Earlier in the game, Sri Lanka were put in to bat first and they got off to a horrific start. They were struggling to get going and were 58 for 5 at the end of the 9th over. But post that Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga put on a good stand and took control of the game. Wanindu Hasaranga did perish but Bhanuka Rajapaksa took his side to a total of 170, which at one point was looking far-fetched. In reply, no Pakistan batters found any rhythm and they just succumbed under pressure and threw their wickets away towards the end.

It was a disheartening batting show from Pakistan. There was no intent shown from any of the batters since the beginning. Pakistan lost two quick wickets in the initial few overs of the chase and then they tried to steady the ship but failed to score runs freely. This pushed them on the back foot and they were under the pump from there. Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed put on 71 runs together for the third wicket but they failed to score them quickly and that kept creeping the run rate up. Iftikhar Ahmed perished in trying to accelerate the innings, and from there on they fell like a pack of cards. From 93 for 2, they found themselves reeling at 125 for 9!

There were questions raised about Sri Lanka being strong only while chasing in this competition, but they have put on a clinical performance and have proved one and all wrong. They did not get off to a bright start as in their first over itself they gave away 12 runs. But they fought back exceedingly well and took two wickets in two balls to take things under control. They did not take many wickets post that but kept the flow of run in check, which only kept adding pressure on the batters. The run rate kept climbing up and the bowlers took advantage of that and broke the stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed. Once that stand was broken, they picked up wickets in a heap They took 7 wickets within 32 runs which probably sealed the deal for them. Pramod Madushan ended with 4 wickets, while Wanindu Hasaranga grabbed three wickets.

SRI LANKA ARE CHAMPIONS OF ASIA! What an entertaining game we have just witnessed here. At the start of the tournament who would have thought that it would be Sri Lanka that was going to be crowned champions? But they have played some unbelievable cricket and have been rewarded for their hard work. Take a bow, Sri Lanka! They are truly deserving winners and with this, they have added their 6th Asia Cup to their trophy cabinet.

OUT! BOWLED! What a way to win it! Crackers all over Dubai and smiles all over the Sri Lankan faces. Chamika Karunaratne bowls a fuller one and on the stumps, Haris Rauf swings his bat at it but misses and the ball knocks over the stumps. A well-deserved victory for the Lankans. They win by 23 runs!

SIX! Fuller and on off, Haris Rauf gets on his knee and launches it over long off for a maximum. Last ball to go!

Shorter one outside off, Haris Rauf looks to pull it but misses. Last 2 balls remaining now!

Fuller one on middle, Mohammad Hasnain eases it to mid on for one.

On a length and on off, Haris Rauf drills it to long on for one. Sri Lanka have to wait for four balls before they celebrate!

Shorter one on middle, Haris Rauf looks to pull it but misses.