Asia Cup 2022: 3 player battles to watch out for from the final between Sri Lanka and Pakistan

Sri Lanka and Pakistan will be gearing up for one last bout before one of them lift the Asia Cup 2022 trophy. The ultimate final of the continental tournament is scheduled to be played at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 11.

Both teams have come a long way since losing their opening games of the competition. Where Sri Lanka were humbled by Afghanistan in the curtain-raiser of the competition, Pakistan faced a defeat against their arch-rivals India.

Since then, both teams have shown a lot of vigor and courage to seal their places in the final. The Dasun Shanaka-led side in particular have been extremely resurgent and are currently on a four-game winning streak.

Will Virat Kohli end the tournament as the highest run-scorer? 🇮🇳👇🏻

#SLvPAK #AsiaCup #cricketsrilanka #cricketpakistan🇵🇰 https://t.co/NG7wN8gJ9N

In their 11th final appearance, Sri Lanka will be aiming for their sixth Asia Cup victory, while Pakistan will be looking to add their third to the trophy cabinet.

Both the teams will be rearing to give their best in order to become the Asian champions. It is expected to be a tantalizing encounter, where players from both sides will be eager to stand out under the glare of the spotlight to etch their names into history.

On that note, let's take a look at the three top player battles from the highly-anticipated Asia Cup final between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

#3 Sri Lankan openers vs Naseem Shah

Sri Lankan openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis have been in terrific touch in Asia Cup 2022. [Pic Credit: ICC]

Sri Lankan openers in Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis have racked up impressive numbers in the ongoing competition.

The right-handed duo have provided Sri Lanka with steady starts in almost every match, and have been a vital cog in their team's wheel. Where Nissanka is the tournament's fourth-highest run-getter with 165 runs at an average of 41.2, Mendis is just behind his partner with 155 runs at an average of 31 and a solid strike rate of 158.2.

Kusal Mendis🤝Pathum Nissanka 1st wicket partnerships in #AsiaCup2022
3 vs AFG in 0.5 overs
45 vs BAN in 5.3 overs
62 vs AFG in 6.3 overs
97 vs IND in 11.1 overs

Since Pathum's debut🏏
Total - 286 runs in 7 matches (avg 40.86)
As openers - 230 runs in 5 matches (avg 46) https://t.co/F6a0DEDWqQ

Pakistan's primary plan to get rid of the Sri Lankan opening pair would be to unleash young speedster Naseem Shah.

Naseem, who has a propensity to click 140kmph regularly, put the world on notice with figures worth 2/27 versus India. He was rested from the last fixture against Sri Lanka and will be rearing to make his mark once again in the final.

As a new surface will be used for today's final, Naseem is expected to extract some pace and bounce from the pitch and put Nissanka and Mendis to the test.

#2 Bhanuka Rajapaksa vs Shadab Khan

While he may not have set the stage on fire by his usual standards, Bhanuka Rajapaksa has been quite effective in the middle-order for Sri Lanka.

A hard-hitting dasher who can disrupt the rhythm of any bowler with ease, Rajapaksa has come up with some crunch knocks in the Asia Cup. The southpaw is Sri Lanka's third-highest run-scorer after Nissanka and Mendis, having scored 130 runs at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 145.

It will be a great spectacle to see when Rajapaksa, who looks to stamp his authority on slower bowlers, goes head-to-head against Pakistan's prime tweaker, Shadab Khan.

With his googlies and leg-breaks, the leg-spinner can trump even the best batters, leaving them clueless during their stay.

In the three instances where Rajapaksa and Shadab have faced each other in T20s, the Sri Lankan batter has maintained a strike rate of 155+ against the leg-spinner, who has dismissed Rajapaksa once.

#1 Babar Azam vs Wanindu Hasaranga

Babar Azam clean bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga 😏

Pakistan captain scored 30 off 29 balls

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Babar Azam, who headed into the tournament as one of the favorites to lead the run-scoring charts, has endured a tough campaign so far. The Pakistani skipper has managed to pile up just 63 runs in five innings at a mediocre average of 12.6.

In the previous game against Sri Lanka, Babar managed only 30 off 29 balls, before being cleaned up by Sri Lanka's ace spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.

Hasaranga carries the onus of making light work of his rivals in the middle overs and outfoxing them at regular intervals. The leg-spinner enjoyed a tremendous game the last time the two sides met, scalping thrice in his four overs.

So far, Hasaranga has had an edge over Babar in T20s, dismissing him once in two games while also not leaking runs at a rate of more than 56.2.

Where the Pakistan camp will hope Babar to lead his side from the front in the final, Sri Lanka will bank on Hasaranga to work his magic once again. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top on Sunday.