Sri Lanka's players received a grand welcome on Monday after they landed in Colombo following their Asia Cup triumph. Dasun Shanaka's team put in a heroic effort to defeat favourites Pakistan in the final of the T20 tournament in Dubai on Sunday.
The title seemed a long way away when Sri Lanka lost badly to Afghanistan in their opening match. But they continued to play an attacking brand of cricket, which took them all the way to the final.
There, they overcame the apparent disadvantage of bowling second — because of dew in the evening — and a horror start — 58 for five — to post a target of 171 before defending it brilliantly through good bowling and exceptional fielding.
Batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who scored an unbeaten 71 in the final, said it was a "great win" for the country amid a severe economic crisis that has engulfed the nation for the best part of 2022. "A couple of decades back, we had some sort of aggression in our side.