Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in the final rehearsal

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: Wanindu Hasaranga's all-round performance and Nissanka's batting helped Sri Lanka win the match. Read this detailed report to know everything about Super 4, Asia cup matches

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play each other in the final match of Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday. While favorites India are out of the tournament, Sri Lanka will have to face Pakistan tomorrow and in the final on Sunday, September 11. India has won 7 out of 14 Asia cup tournaments, and it is one of the rarest asia cups, where India will not be playing for the trophy. Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be hoping to bag their third and sixth Asia cup trophies, respectively.

Also read | Asia Cup 2022 points table: Ind, Afg, SL and Pak will play in Super four

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: How Sri Lanka won the 'Final Dress Rehearsal'?

After winning the toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka chose to bowl first. Pakistan tried their best yet failed to score runs and settled for 121 runs in 19.1 overs. Babar Azam was the top scorer with 30 runs off 29 balls. Sri Lanka's X-factor was bowlers Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga who took 2 and 3 wickets respectively.

Chasing 122 was a cakewalk at the Dubai International Cricket stadium. Sri Lanka lost the early wickets of Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva and Danushka Gunathilaka. However, Pathum Nissanka stayed till the end and helped Sri Lanka chase 122 for 5 wickets with a score of 55 runs off 48 deliveries.

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: How India defeated Afghanistan?

Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bowl against India's strong batting lineup. KL Rahul captained the side in absence of Rohit Sharma. As a result, Virat Kohli opened with KL Rahul and added 119 runs for the first wicket. After scoring 62, Rahul returned to the pavilion. Suryakumar Yadav failed to explode today's match. However, Virat Kohli scored his much-awaited International century. India scored 212 runs for the loss of two wickets. Kohli stayed not out at 122 runs off 61 deliveries.

While chasing a mammoth total of 212 runs, Afghanistan openers panicked and got dismissed by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in the first over. By the end of six overs, Afghanistan was 20 for 5. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar completed his spell in the 7th over and registered his career-best bowling. Bhuvaneshware Kumar was the top bowler for picking 5 wickets and conceding only 4 runs.

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: How did India get knocked out of the tournament?

After the defeat in the second game of Super 4, India's hopes relied on Afghanistan vs Pakistan match. In the fourth match of Super 4, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first. In the first innings, none of the Afghan Batsman played good shots, and Pakistani bowlers restricted them to 129/6. Ibrahim Zadran was the top batsman with 35 runs off 37 deliveries, while Pakistani bowler Haris Rauf picked two wickets for 26 runs in his spell.

While chasing 130 runs at the Sharjah, Pakistan lost Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman in the first four overs. Rizwan tried his best yet failed to score big. When Pakistan was 45 for 3, Shadab Khan came to the rescue and scored some massive sixes on the on-side. However, the trio of Fazalhaq Farooqui, Fareed Ahmad and Rashid Khan picked some crucial wickets and dragged the match till 20th over. In the end, Naseem Shah's two sixes helped Pakistan knock out Afghanistan and India on the go. 

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: How India lost to Sri Lanka?

In the third match of Super 4, Sri Lanka defeated India by six wickets to stay on the top of the table.Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl first. Though KL Rahul and Virat Kohli failed to score many runs, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav helped India maintain momentum. After a 97-run stand, India's batting trembled and settled for 173 runs for 8 wickets. Rohit Sharma was the top-scorer for India with 72 runs off 41 balls. Sri Lanka's Dilshan Madushanka was the key bowler as he picked three wickets for 24 runs.

While chasing 174 runs, Sri Lanka started brilliantly as Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka scored 97 runs together. However, Yuzvender Chahal managed to break the partnership and took two important wickets in one over. However, Danusa Shanaka and Rajapaksha helped Sri Lanka win their second match of the Super 4.

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: What happened in India vs Pakistan?

On Sunday evening, Pakistan avenged their defeat against India by a close finish in the 19.5 overs. Pakistan's best batsman was Muhammad Rizwan.

Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first at their adopted home ground Dubai International Cricket stadium. India started their innings on a good note but was restricted by Pakistani bowlers to 181 runs for seven wickets. Virat Kohli was India's top scorer with 60 runs while Shadab Khan was Pakistan's leading wicket-taker with 2 wickets for 31 runs.

India was dominant in the first five overs of the second innings. Babar Azam's dismissal by Ravi Bishnoi created hopes for India. However, Rizwan stayed on the ground for a long and helped his, team, chase a decent total of 181 runs. In the last two overs, Pakistan needed 26 runs, where Asad Ali played a cameo and helped Pakistan win their first match at Asia Cup 2022.

 

Also read | Asia Cup 2022 SL vs AFG Highlights: Sri Lanka avenge loss vs Afghanistan

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: Points table

Team	Matches Played	Won	Lost	NRR	Points
Sri Lanka	2	2	0	0.701	6
Pakistan	2	2	1	-0.279	4
India	3	1	2	1.607	2
Afghanistan	3	0	3	--2.006	0

  

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Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: Qualified teams

India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are the four qualified teams for Asia Cup 2022. Afghanistan was the group B topper with a good run rate and two massive wins.

On the other hand, India was the group A topper with a positive run rate and victories against Pakistan and Hong Kong.

Sri Lanka managed to get into the super-fours after a close finish against Bangladesh in the group stage match.

Pakistan thrashed Hong Kong by 155 runs to make its run rate the highest among the four teams. 

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: Schedule

Date	Contest	Venue	Time
Sep-03	Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, Super Four, Match 1 (B1 v B2)	Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah	7:30 PM
Sep-04	India vs Pakistan, Super Four, Match 2 (A1 v A2)	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	7:30 PM
Sep-06	India vs Sri Lanka, Super Four, Match 3 (A1 v B2)	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	7:30 PM
Sep-07	Afghanistan vs Pakistan, Super Four, Match 4 (A2 v B1)	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	7:30 PM
Sep-08	India vs Afghanistan, Super Four, Match 5 (A1 v B1)	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	7:30 PM
Sep-09	Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Super Four, Match 6 (B1 v A2)	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	7:30 PM
Sep-11	TBC vs TBC, Final	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	7:30 PM

  

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: Key highlights and results

Sept 3: Match 1, SL vs AFG:  Sri Lanka defeats Afghanistan by 4 wickets in 19.1 overs

Sri Lanka finished the match in 20th over and defeated Afghanistan by four wickets. Kusal Mendis was Sri Lanka's highest scorer with 36 runs off 19 deliveries, while quickfire innings of 31 by Bhanuka Rajapaksa in 14 balls helped them chase 179 in 19.1 overs. Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz was awarded "player of the match" for his 84 runs of 45 balls.

Sept 4: Match 2, Ind vs Pak: Pakistan defeated India by 5 wickets

India lost their first match of Super 4 against Pakistan in 19.5 overs. The first innings total of India was 182, which was chased by Pakistan in 19.5 overs. India's top scorer was Virat Kohli with 60 of 44 deliveries. Mohammad Rizwan was Pakistan's top scorer with 71 runs off 51 deliveries. Mohammad Nawaz was awarded Player of the match for his 42(20) and one wicket for 25 runs.

Sept 6: Match 3, Ind vs SL: Sri Lanka defeated India by 6 wickets

After winning against Afghanistan, table toppers Sri Lanka defeated firm favourites India in the third match of the Super 4 Asia Cup. Kusal Mendis, Danusa Shanaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa were the heroes of the match for Sri Lanka. Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin were only bowlers to bag wickets for India in the second innings. Dasun Shanaka was awarded player of the match for exceptional bowling.

Sept 7: Match 4: Afg vs Pak: Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by a wicket

While chasing 130 runs, Pakistan's top-order trembled against Rashid, Fazalhaq and Fareed's bowling. However, a powerful knock of 36 runs by Shadab Khan, 16 off 8 balls by Asif Ali, and 14 off 4 deliveries by Naseem Shah helped Pakistan get into the finals. Shadab Khan was awarded player of the match.

Sept 8: Match 5: Afg vs India: India defeated Afghanistan by 101 runs

After Virat Kohli's 71st century, Afghanistan was under pressure to chase a total of 212 runs in 20 overs. From the first over, Afghanistan starts losing wickets against seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. In the seven overs, Afghanistan lost six wickets for 21 runs, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar completed his five-wicket haul by conceding only four runs. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Virat Kohli were the heroes of the match.

 

Sept 9: Match 6: Sri Lanka defeats Pakistan by 5 wickets

Pakistan failed to defend 121 runs against Sri Lanka's batting. In the first innings, Pakistan were restricted for 121 runs by Sri Lankan spinners. In the second innings, Pakistan started well yet Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka scored 55* off 48 deliveries to chase down the total. However, Wanindu Hasaranga was awarded 'player of the match' for his exceptional all-round performance.

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Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: What is the format?

Asia cup 2022 is being played in the round-robin format. All teams face one another and the top two teams qualify for the Asia Cup finals to be played on September 11, Sunday.

Net-run rate (NRR) will be the deciding factor in the game. Teams with the most points and good NRR will have the best chances to play in the finals. Till now, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan have positive net-run-rate while Sri Lanka could not recover from their defeat in the first match.

Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: What are the rules?

Rules are simple for Asia Cup Super 4. The team losing the match will not get any points or lose any points, though NRR will be badly affected after losing with a huge margin.

The winning team will get two points for their victory and better NRR if they finish the match in lesser time and better margin. Though there are low chances of precipitation in UAE, matches with no results will help the team to get one point each.

(Written by Zuhair Zaidi)

Sept 8: Match 5: Afg vs India: India defeated Afghanistan by 101 runs

After Virat Kohli's 71st century, Afghanistan was under pressure to chase a total of 212 runs in 20 overs. From the first over, Afghanistan starts losing wickets against seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. In the seven overs, Afghanistan lost six wickets for 21 runs, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar completed his five-wicket haul by conceding only four runs. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Virat Kohli were the heroes of the match.