Much like Sri Lanka, Pakistan too got off on the wrong foot in the 2022 Asia Cup with a five-wicket loss to India. The ‘Men in Green’, however, have since staged quite the turnaround and after reeling in three victories in a row, find themselves facing the Lankan Lions in the grand finale in Dubai on Sunday.
The Asia Cup sure has been one of the most exciting tournaments in recent memory and arguably the most thrilling edition in the history of the continental tournament, given the number of nail-biting encounters that fans have been treated to over the past two weeks.
And before it all comes to an end in a little over 24 hours from now, we take a look at Pakistan’s journey to the final:
Lost to India by five wickets (Group A, 28 September)
Pakistan had entered the clash seeking inspiration from their resounding 10-wicket win over India at the same venue in the T20 World Cup last year, but ended up suffering a five-wicket loss at the hands of their arch-rivals, thanks primarily to Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s four-wicket haul and a superb all-round display by Hardik Pandya.
Pakistan were bowled out for 147, and the Men in Blue lost wickets at regular intervals during the chase before Pandya took charge and finished the game off in style.
Defeated Hong Kong by 155 runs (Group A, 2 September)
Few would have expected the Pakistanis to bounce back as ruthlessly as they did against Hong Kong following the loss against India. Pakistan lost the wicket of skipper Babar Azam with just 13 on the board, but that was about the only time Hong Kong were in charge. The Men in Green would go on to add another 180 runs for the loss of one wicket in the next 17 overs, with opener Mohammad Rizwan and No 3 Fakhar Zaman both slamming fifties.
The bowlers, especially the spin duo of Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz, made short work thereafter of the opposition batting lineup as Hong Kong were skittled out for a paltry 38, resulting in a record 155-run victory for Pakistan.
Defeated India by five wickets (Super Four, 4 September)
Pakistan would have their revenge against India a week after their five-wicket loss at the hands of Rohit Sharma and Co, this time coming out on top in a high-scoring chase.
Openers Rohit and KL Rahul got off to blazing starts, scoring 28 each while Virat Kohli put on a batting clinic with his 60-run knock as India posted a challenging 181/7 on the board. And though Pakistan skipper Babar was dismissed early in the powerplay once again, Rizwan stood tall as he forged vital partnerships with Fakhar and Nawaz for the second and third wickets respectively.
And once he was dismissed off Pandya’s bowling, it was upto the middle-order trio of Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed to finish the job as they made the most of some wayward bowling and dropped chances to guide their team home with a ball to spare.
Defeated Afghanistan by one wicket (Super Four, 7 September)
The Afghan batters struggled to set the pace on a tricky Sharjah surface after being invited to bat and could only managed 129 with four wickets still left in their kitty at the end of the innings.
Pakistan, in reply, were off to a shaky start with Babar this time getting trapped leg-before for a duck. Things got worse with Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal for 5, before the trio of Rizwan, Iftikhar and Shadab Khan mounted a rescue for the Pakistanis. Iftikhar and Shadab’s dismissals in quick succession however, triggered panic among the Pakistani batters as they ended up collapsing from 87/3 to 118/9.
An unfazed Naseem however, made the most of two juicy full tosses from Fazalhaq Farooqi to pull off one of the most incredible finishing acts that was followed by some wild celebrations… and some unpleasant scenes in the stands.
Lost to Sri Lanka by five wickets (Super Four, 9 September)
The final Super 4 clash of the tournament hardly meant anything for the two teams involved other than providing them some room for experimentation as both Pakistan and Sri Lanka had qualified for the final with two wins in as many games in the second round of the tournament.
Pakistan, making two changes to their lineup by bringing in Hasan Ali and Usman Qadir in place of Naseem and Shadab, ended up getting out-bowled and out-batted in the dress rehearsal for the final — first getting bundled out for 121 with the Lankans chasing the target down comfortably with five wickets and three overs to spare.
Pakistan, however, will hope to have learn their lessons from their second defeat of the tournament and will look to rectify them in the big game on Sunday.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/6UqaxSo
No comments:
Post a Comment