Jennifer
In the 11th game of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, Sri Lanka and Pakistan locked horns and it was a virtual semifinal. After all, India had already made it to the finals beating both teams. As Pakistan and Sri Lanka had lost one and won as many games in the Super Four, they were in contention for the finals.
However, for the Green Brigade, they needed this game to be played more than the Lankan Lions. After all, thanks to their 228-run defeat to seven-time winners, India, their NRR was much lower. on the other hand, the defending champions, Lanka would still have made it if the game ended as a no result. Meanwhile, in the game, Pakistan batted first and amassed 252/7 with Mohammad Rizwan scoring an unbeaten 86 runs.
In reply, the Lankan Lions once again smashed fans’ dreams of witnessing an India-Pakistan final in Asia Cups. They won the game by
Let’s have a look at the top stories from Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Super Four, Match 11
1. Pakistan winning the toss and batting first!
Notably, despite the rain reduced the game to 45 overs a side, the two-time winners won the toss and elected to bat first. Even though there is no confirmation, it certainly looked like a decision coming from a traumatic 228-run loss against India. Rather than looking at what was ahead for them, they decided to play safe.
2. Pitch becoming a batting paradise after rain break
After the Green Brigade amassed 130 runs for five wickets, rain forced players to take a break. Notably, despite the groundsmen urging to take players off, the on-field took some time. This meant that the wicket got some more water and it eventually led to it being freshened up. After the break, the likes of Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmad batted well and had a great time.
3. Pakistan missing their wicket-taking pacers
The former winners missed the likes of Haris Rauf and Naseem Rauf, who were ruled out of the tournament. They were badly missed by Pakistan with Zaman Khan and Mohammad Wasim Jr being inexperienced at this format of the game.
