A clash of the unpredictables
There’s little to differentiate the two countries vying for the Asia Cup title this evening at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both economies are mired in crisis. Unlike Sri Lanka, Pakistan has avoided a total economic meltdown. But rising inflation has left people struggling for survival.There are few signs of recovery. When the two teams square off this evening over the regional cricket title, people in both nations will leave their suffering behind to support their heroes.
If Sri Lankans bring home the trophy, it will be their first major title in eight years. Anticipation is at a peak. Discussions about the two teams, their attributes – strengths and weaknesses – are being carried out on social media platforms, in offices and homes.
A defeat will be hard to swallow, as Sri Lanka have done exceptionally in making a clean sweep of the Super 4s. Their rise is phenomenal, particularly after the thrashing from Afghanistan in the tournament opener. They were fearing an early exit as in the previous edition where defeats to Bangladesh and Afghanistan saw a first round departure. They dodged that bullet to enter the second round by beating Bangladesh.
Since then, Sri Lanka have been unstoppable, entering Sunday’s final as the hot favourite. They last won the title in 2014 when Angelo Mathews led his team to the title in a 50-over format.
Sri Lanka know Pakistan can just as easily upset the applecart in the title-decider. The opponents are a sturdy side and a formidable challenge on the pitch. But given how Sri Lanka had gone about their business after the opening shocker, there’s hope they have finally found a team to rival the best in the business.
If any side is equipped to deal with Pakistan, it is Sri Lanka who are unpredictable in a different way. You can never predict which of their trumps will be the star turn. In the first three wins, it was their batters that helped chase down record totals. But on Friday, their bowlers joined the party, restricting Pakistan to a below par score.
At that last encounter, they claimed victory by five wickets with three overs remaining, completing a hat-trick of wins in the Super 4s.
But the skipper has already echoed what’s being heard in most street corners: “This is no reason to be complacent. The confidence we have is massive after four consecutive wins, but we still don’t take Pakistan lightly in the final”.
To some extent, this should allay the fears of fans who worry that Sri Lanka may go into the finals with a relaxed attitude. But as Chief Selector Pramodya Wickremasinghe says, “Each game must be taken in isolation.” With their spot in the final confirmed, they could have tried out the bench strength but instead they chose to go full on to continue the winning momentum.
As for the two sides, Dasun Shanaka has two star spinners in Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana and their performance on was a welcome boost ahead of Sunday’s final. They conceded as many as 238 runs off the 31 overs they bowled, taking three wickets apiece before Friday’s encounter. But they were on fire that day as they shared five wickets between them for 42 runs.
As for Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz, the left arm off-spinner, and Shadab Khan, the leg spinner, they have been in great form with 15 wickets between them for 192 runs in 32.2 overs.
Dilshan Madushanka and Pakistan’s Naseem Shah will be a treat to watch. Kusal Mendis has rediscovered his form, leading Sri Lanka’s batting revival during the tournament as Pathum Nissanka. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne have all played key roles to take Sri Lanka into the finals.
“It will be Sri Lanka all the way”, said a cricket fan when asked about Sunday’s crunch game. “We have played some exceptional cricket and it’s a matter of finishing the job”. Such is the confidence the team gathered in recent months.
Still, Pakistan could well spoil Sri Lanka’s soup. Mohammad Rizwan is the second highest scorer in the tournament, hitting 226 runs off five innings, behind India’s Virat Kholi whose unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan took him to the pole position in the batting stats.
Even though Pakistan has several power hitters in their ranks, Rizwan’s contribution is key to their success, especially when their skipper Barbar Azam and Fakhar Zaman are going through rough patches. Azam scored just 33 runs off his first four innings and, even though he made 30 on Friday, it was by no means of Barbar’s standards.
But when all’s said and done, whoever wins this tournament will bring a smile to the faces of people in respective countries going through turmoil due to the economic crisis.