In the Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are engaged in a pivotal Super Four stage match, with the winner advancing to the finals against India.
The match is being played at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium of Asia Cup. The participants had to wait a while before the game because of the constant rain. Eventually, the game was changed to a 45-over-per-side contest.
The match was now down to 42 overs per side when another rain delay occurred in the 28th over, resulting in further damage. Eight overs can be bowled by three bowlers, and nine overs can be bowled by two bowlers. At the rain break, Pakistan was battling with a score of 130/5. The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern formula will be used to alter their final score after 42 overs.
After play resumed, the pitch appeared to accelerate a little more, and there was also noticeably less spin. Pakistan reached a respectable total of 252/7 in their 42 overs thanks to the classy combination of Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed, who scored 108 runs off 78 balls. Sri Lanka would be attempting to reach a score of 252.
For the Men in Green, Rizwan stole the show with an incredible final score of 86* from 73 balls. Iftikhar’s innings of 47 off 40 balls demonstrated his experience as well. Abdullah Shafique, who wasn’t initially included in the playing XI, got a respectable half-century prior to their partnership. For the home team, Matheesha Pathirana shone with the ball, finishing with figures of 3/65 in eight overs.
Sri Lanka will be confident in their prospects because the pitch has improved after the rain delay. In the event of additional rain, they will also benefit from being able to bat in accordance with the DLS target. For players like Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera, it would be vital to use the new ball to counter Shaheen Afridi’s speed.