Pakistan Shaheens Storm into Final with Victory Over Sri Lanka A in Asia Cup Rising Stars

Pakistan Shaheens produced a clinical performance against Sri Lanka A in the 2nd semifinal of the Asia Cup Rising Stars. The green shirts defeated Sri Lanka A by 5 runs, courtesy of some fine bowling performances by Saad Masood and Sufyan Muqeem in the second innings. Both spinners played a vital role in the victory of Pakistan, as their collective spells choked the Sri Lanka batting during the middle overs. As a result, they failed to chase the target of 154 runs, which was certainly a very modest total.

Batting first, Pakistan Shaheens struggled badly in the first innings. Their in-form opener, Maaz Sadaqat, got out in the Powerplay, which halted their charge on the opponents. Sri Lanka A seized the opportunity and bowled smartly to put more pressure on the young Shaheens batting lineup. As a result, they lost more wickets after the Powerplay, allowing Sri Lanka to dictate the terms.

The back-to-back blows squeezed the scoring rate of Pakistan, however, Ghazi Ghori absorbed the pressure and stood firm on one end. His little partnership with Saad Masood gave Pakistan a steady base, allowing the green shirts to start marching towards a decent total. The innings of Ghazi Ghori stood out during the crunch situation, as he scored crucial 39 runs by hitting 3 boundaries.

A fine cameo by Ahmed Daniyal then allowed Pakistan Shaheens to post a decent total of 153 at the end of the first innings. This was a fighting score which gave the green shirts plenty of confidence to challenge Sri Lanka in the second innings.

 

Sri Lanka Falls Short of the Mark

When Sri Lanka came out to bat, they looked in complete control. Their openers, Lasith Croospulle and Vishen Halambage took on the Pakistan bowlers positively, giving the Sri Lanka team a strong start. However, the breakthrough made by Shahid Aziz flipped the match in Pakistan’s favour. He removed the dangerous Croospulle for 27 runs, offering some respite to the battered Pakistan bowlers.

After the dismissal of Lasith Croospulle, Sri Lanka never found momentum. They lost regular wickets at different intervals, allowing Pakistan to take control of the match firmly. The middle order of Sri Lanka failed completely, as none of their batters entered double digits. As a result, pressure started mounting and the required run-rate went above 12 runs per over.

Things were looking quite dim for the Sri Lankan team, however, a fine cameo played by Milan Rathnayake at the end made the match interesting. His score of 40 runs brought Sri Lanka close to victory, however, he couldn’t take his team to the finish line. He got out in the last over, courtesy of some fine death bowling by Ubaid Shah. The young pacer successfully defended 15 runs in the last over, allowing Pakistan to win the match by 5 runs.

By winning the second semifinal against Sri Lanka A, Pakistan Shaheens secured a confirmed spot in the final of the Asia Cup Rising Stars. They will now face Bangladesh in the last match of the tournament, which will be played at the same venue on November 23.