Asia Cup 2022: "I am expecting a good final" - Pakistan skipper Babar Azam
Pakistan captain Babar Azam opened up on the Asia Cup final clash against Sri Lanka in Dubai, stating that he expects a keen encounter on Sunday. The right-handed batter also admitted that the toss has been crucial at the venue, with teams batting second having an advantage.
Hosts Sri Lanka are coming off a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the final match of the Super four stage. Sri Lanka's spinners rattled Babar Azam and Co. as their three slow bowlers shared six wickets between them. Batting first, Pakistan managed only 121 on the board and Sri Lanka chased it down in 17 overs.
"Every player is stepping up and taking responsibility"
🗣️ @babarazam258 reviews Pakistan's performance in the Asia Cup so far as he looks forward to the final against Sri Lanka
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Ahead of the decider, the star batter said while he remains excited for the final, he pointed out how wickets have got better to bat in the second innings.
The 27-year-old said in a video released by PCB's official Twitter handle:
"We are excited for the final. I am expecting a good final. Teams batting second are winning matches as toss matter, wickets get better in the second innings and there is also a slight edge."
The right-handed batter hailed Pakistan for getting the better of the opposition in close games and didn't expect Naseem Shah to hit two sixes against Afghanistan.
"I am lucky as captain to have such a good team and the way they have been responding and performing. In every game, a new individual has stepped up. Our round matches were quite close, especially the one against Afghanistan. We were not expecting Naseem to hit those sixes."
19-year-old Naseem Shah stunned Afghanistan when the men in green needed 11 off the final over with only one wicket left. He smashed twin sixes off the first two deliveries to seal Pakistan's place in the final.
Babar Azam's form in focus ahead of the final
Apart from Pakistan's middle-order, Azam's own performance with the bat will be equally under focus after a lean run in the tournament. He has managed only 63 runs in five innings at 12.60 with a best of 33.
Not the result we wanted today 💔
We meet Sri Lanka again in the final on Sunday 🏏
#AsiaCup2022 | #SLvPAK https://t.co/Ajj6HwFJWR
The Lahore-born batter lost his number one T20I ranking to Mohammad Rizwan after failing to score even a half-century in the Asia Cup. Pakistan will desperately need their skipper to fire in the final to get their hands on the trophy.