"Happens mostly in Tennis ball cricket" - Ravichandran Ashwin on Pramod Madushan's run out in PAK vs SL Asia Cup 2023 match
Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Sri Lanka's Pramod Madushan for his game awareness during the side's must-win Super 4's encounter of the Asia Cup 2023 against Pakistan on Thursday, September 14.
Madushan was on strike when Sri Lanka required six off the final three balls. He was beaten off a full delivery by Zaman Khan. The ball went straight to keeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Charith Asalanka, who was at the non-striker's end, sprinted in an attempt to steal a single. Madushan made a clever move as he stood in his crease, waiting for Rizwan's throw to pass the stumps before running. This was to ensure that even if the throw hit the stumps, Asalanka wouldn't lose his wicket.
Reacting to the ploy, Ashwin wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"Absolutely! Just 🔥. All I can say is that these sort of reactions come from practice and this happens mostly in Tennis ball cricket."
Madhushan was ultimately run out after Zaman collected the ball and dislodged the stumps at the non-striker's end. However, Asalanka survived and eventually took to side to a thrilling victory.
Sri Lanka qualify for Asia Cup 2023 final
India were the first side to qualify for the Asia Cup 2023 final, courtesy of their back-to-back wins over Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4's.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka, on the other hand, competed in a virtual semifinal to book a place in the summit clash. The Men in Green suffered a heartbreaking two-wicket loss (DLS method), failing to defend a 252-run total.
Zaman Khan was tasked with defending eight runs from the final over on his ODI debut. The pacer started impressively, but the match turned in the opposition's favour after an outside edge flew to the boundary on the penultimate delivery.
With two needed off the last ball, Charith Asalanka tucked one behind the square for a double to win the game. India and Sri Lanka will lock horns in the Asia Cup 2023 final at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, September 17.