Asia Cup 2022: 3 records that were broken during Sri Lanka's emphatic win over Pakistan

In the last Super 4 fixture of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by five wickets at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday (September 9).

The fixture was more of a dress rehearsal before the ultimate final, where the two sides will lock horns for the Asia Cup 2022 title in Dubai, on Sunday (September 11).

After winning the toss for the fourth consecutive time, Dasun Shanaka asked Pakistan to bat first. The Babar Azam-led side's innings never got going as they managed to post only a modest 121 before getting all out in 19.1 overs.

Things may have looked much worse for the team if Mohammad Nawaz didn't play a cameo of 26 from 18.

Sri Lanka chased the target with 3️⃣ overs to spare against Pakistan in the last match of the super 4️⃣ 🏏

Sri Lanka and Pakistan will face each other again in the finals of the Asia Cup 2022 ⚔️

#SriLanka #Pakistan #pakvsl #CricketTwitter #AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/jSteGBkQYK

During the chase, Sri Lanka found themselves in a spot of bother when they lost Kusal Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka inside the first eight balls. They also lost Dhananjaya de Silva during the fifth over before a 51-run partnership between Pathum Nissanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa calmed things down for the Islanders.

Nissanka remained unbeaten at one end and scored a well-made 55* off 48, which guided Sri Lanka to their fourth successive win in the competition.

While no unusual milestones were broken during the contest, Sri Lanka's resounding victory over Pakistan did result in the creation of a few noteworthy records.

On that note, here are the top three records that were broken during the Super 4 game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

#3 Wanindu Hasaranga is now Sri Lanka's second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is

Wanindu Hasaranga was the Player of the Match against Pakistan [Pic Credit: Getty images]

Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga set the stage on fire with his wily bowling against Pakistan. He caused a lot of trouble for the Pakistani batters and took three wickets in his four overs, including the big scalp of a set Babar Azam.

Wanindu Hasaranga was awarded the player of the match for his brilliant all-round performance against Pakistan 💪🇱🇰

#waninduhasaranga #AsiaCup2022 #CricketTwitter https://t.co/P0PWWT6Y2L

Hasaranga, who had 65 T20I scalps prior to this fixture, surpassed Ajantha Mendis to become Sri Lanka's second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 68 wickets. Hasaranga achieved the milestone in just 41 innings and has a remarkable bowling average of 15.

Unsurprisingly, Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga leads the wicket-taking charts with a record 107 T20I wickets to his name in 83 innings. However, the form showed by Hasaranga in recent times suggests that Malinga's position at the top might be under some threat.

#2 Pathum Nissanka is Sri Lanka's highest run-getter in T20Is in a single calendar year

Pathum Nissanka is a vital cog for Sri Lanka in T20Is

Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka played a terrific knock of 55* from 48 balls and carried his bat through the innings. He weathered the initial threat from the Pakistan pacers before motoring along to guide his side to a solid win.

The right-hander has been a crucial player for Sri Lanka this year and is even enjoying a fruitful Asia Cup 2022 campaign. Nissanka has amassed 165 runs at an average of 41.2 in the ongoing tournament, taking his 2022 T20I runs tally to 491 runs in 16 matches.

Pathum Nissanka is chasing the target single handedly 🔥🏏

#pathumnissanka #Srilanka #pakvsl #AsiaCup2022 #CricketTwitter https://t.co/TWI2OeTpkU

No Sri Lankan player has ever scored more than Nissanka's 491 runs in a single calendar year. In fact, he is Sri Lanka's first player ever to rack up 400+ runs in T20Is in a single calendar year.

Interestingly, skipper Dasun Shanaka, with his 16-ball 21 on Friday, became only the second Sri Lankan to breach the 400-run mark in T20Is in a single year. Shanaka has scored 417 runs in 16 matches so far this year.

#1 Sri Lanka now have the joint-most wins in Asia Cup

📸 Winning moment

#SLvPAK #RoaringForGlory https://t.co/2kliFZI5xq

With a thumping 5-wicket win over Pakistan, the Sri Lankan team registered their 39th win in the history of the Asia Cup. This is the joint-most by any nation alongside India, who have also won 39 games in the 59 Asia Cup matches they have played in. It took 60 games for Sri Lanka to reach the landmark.

However, most of these matches were in the ODI format, in which the tournament has been played on all occasions barring the 2016 and the current edition.

On Sunday, Sri Lanka will look to surpass India to win their 40th Asia Cup game, and most importantly, lift their sixth Asia Cup title.