The fifteenth edition of the Asia Cup Cricket competition is all set to end on Sunday with a Pakistan vs Sri Lanka championship match. The Asia Cup Cricket 2022 final game will take place at Dubai's International Cricket Stadium on September 11. Both teams suffered defeats at the beginning of their campaigns but bounced back strongly to earn a position in the championship contest. Let's explore how Pakistan and Sri Lanka advanced to the all-important final match.
Asia Cup 2022 Super Four Round: Final Points Table
Two teams had advanced from each group in the Asia Cup Cricket 2022 Super Round. India and Pakistan had qualified for the Super Four from Group A. On the other hand, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka had managed to finish first and second, respectively, in group B to advance to the next stage.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan finished first and second in the points table of the Super Four phase and subsequently advanced to the championship contest. India finished third with one win, while Afghanistan finished fourth in the points standings.
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Asia Cup Cricket 2022 Super Four Round Points Table
|
Team |
Win |
Loss |
Points |
NRR |
|
Sri Lanka |
3 |
0 |
6 |
0.701 |
|
Pakistan |
2 |
1 |
4 |
-0.279 |
|
India |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1.607 |
|
Afghanistan |
0 |
3 |
0 |
-2.006 |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Sri Lanka’s road to the Asia Cup 2022 final
Many believed Sri Lanka's campaign would end in the group stage when they lost their opening match of the tournament to Afghanistan by a big margin of 8 wickets. However, the Lankan team surprised everyone by putting forth a tremendous battle against Bangladesh to finish in the top two of group B's points table.
Read Pakistan vs Sri Lanka: Who will win Asia Cup Cricket 2022?
Sri Lanka maintained its winning streak in the Super Four round. They overcame Afghanistan's 175 runs with five balls left in Sharjah. Their next encounter against India was important for the final berth. Sri Lanka shocked the dominant Indian Twenty20 team by winning in the last over even though they were the underdogs. The Sri Lankan team's prospects of competing in the final were all but guaranteed with this victory.
They faced Pakistan in their last Super Four match, which served as a preparation for the championship game. The Lankan team dominated Pakistan from the beginning to the end of the game, and they ultimately won the match with three overs remaining.
Sri Lanka’s match results in the Asia Cup 2022 so far
Date: 27/08/2022 | Opposition: Afghanistan | Result: Afghanistan won the game by 8 wickets
Date: 01/09/2022 | Opposition: Bangladesh | Result: Sri Lanka won the game by 2 wickets
Date: 03/09/2022 | Opposition: Afghanistan | Result: Sri Lanka won the game by 4 wickets
Date: 06/09/2022 | Opposition: India | Result: Sri Lanka won the game by 6 wickets
Date: 09/09/2022 | Opposition: Pakistan | Result: Sri Lanka won the game by 5 wickets.
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Pakistan’s road to the 2022 Asia Cup Cricket final
Pakistan's Asia Cup 2022 campaign began with a disappointing start in a group A match against archrival India, losing by five wickets. Hong Kong was not a difficult opponent for Pakistan to advance to the next round. They easily defeated the Hong Kong team to finish in the top two in group A's point standings.
In the Super Four phase, the Pakistan T20I team sweetly avenged their loss to India in the group stage. Pakistan qualified for the Asia Cup Cricket 2022 championship match by defeating India by five wickets and then defeating Afghanistan by one wicket. However, Pakistan's campaign should be concerned by how they played against Sri Lanka in their final Super Four round encounter, which they defeated rather handily.
Pakistan’s match results in the Asia Cup 2022 so far
Date: 28/08/2022 | Opposition: India | Result: India won the contest by 5 wickets
Date: 02/09/2022 | Opposition: Hong Kong | Result: Pakistan won the contest by 155 runs
Date: 04/09/2022 | Opposition: India | Result: Pakistan won the contest by 5 wickets
Date: 07/09/2022 | Opposition: Afghanistan | Result: Pakistan won the contest by 1 wicket
Date: 09/09/2022 | Opposition: Sri Lanka | Result: Sri Lanka won the contest by 5 wickets.
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Bottom Line
Sri Lanka have performed confidently and efficiently overall at the Asia Cup 2022, in contrast to Pakistan. The Sri Lankan team has shown remarkable resilience after their dismal opening encounter against Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Pakistani team has had erratic performances. In addition to a few outstanding results, they had unsatisfactory performances in both the group stage and the Super Four round. The Lankan campaign should be feeling more confident in the lead-up to the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup Cricket 2022 final.