Asia Cup 2022: Top 10 funny memes after Pakistan's batting lineup collapses in final against Sri Lanka
Overcoming various on- and off-field difficulties, Sri Lanka lifted the Asia Cup 2022 after defeating Pakistan by 35 runs in the final on Sunday, September 11, in Dubai. Wanindu Hasaranga played a starring role in the victory with a stellar all-round contribution.
After being sent in to bat first, Sri Lanka endured a disappointing start during the first half. They were reeling at 58/5 after 8.5 overs, courtesy of a brilliant bowling display from Pakistan.
At this juncture, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (71* off 45 balls) and Wanindu Hasaranga (36 off 21 balls) held their composure and resurrected Sri Lanka's innings with a pivotal 58-run stand for the sixth wicket. They resorted to some aggressive batting and disturbed the rhythm of the opposition bowling lineup.
Even though Hasaranga fell in the 15th over, Rajapaksa carried forward the momentum till the end and lifted Sri Lanka to a decent first innings total of 170/6. Pakistan's sloppy fielding also assisted the southpaw's cause in the final few overs as he was dropped by Shadab Khan.
In response, Pakistan got off to a poor start. Babar Azam (5) endured another failure, as did Fakhar Zaman (0), meaning that their team was 22/2 within four overs.
Mohammad Rizwan (55 off 49 balls) and Iftikhar Ahmed (32 off 31 balls) took the innings forward but failed to score at a decent rate, due to which the required run rate kept climbing.
Pakistan were still alive in the chase, with power hitters available down the order. However, Hasaranga (3/27) delivered a match-defining blow to them in the 17th over by picking up three crucial wickets of Mohammad Rizwan, Asif Ali, and Khushdil Shah to put Sri Lanka on the brink of a famous victory.
The Men in Green were not able to recover and were eventually bowled out for 147 off the last ball of the match to lose the contest by 23 runs.
Fans on social media enjoyed this intense contest in the Asia Cup 2022 final. They reacted to the on-field action by posting engaging memes.
Here is a collection of the best memes related to the clash between the two nations:
Rizwan coming to get the most runs in the tournament award at 118 strike rate https://t.co/d6L189cfvy
#SLvPAKCongratulations Sri Lanka U deserve it👏 #SLvPAK https://t.co/ZGjI1eHtEd
@TheRealPCB @OfficialSLC Live scenes from Pakistan 😂
#AsiaCup2022Final #SLvPAK https://t.co/ZCUaEbLmhv
With this win, Sri Lanka have managed to lift the Asia Cup after eight long years. They have now won the tournament on six occasions. India leads the charts with seven triumphs.
However, as far as Asia Cups played in the T20 format are concerned, both India and Sri Lanka have won one edition each.