Watch: Babar Azam Distraught, Pakistan Players In Shock As Sri Lanka Clinch Last-Ball Win In Asia Cup 2023

15.09.2023 - 15:01 sports.ndtv.com

It was a case of so close yet so far for the Pakistan cricket team as they failed to reach the Asia Cup 2023 after a last-ball defeat against Sri Lanka in their Super 4 clash on Thursday.

With 8 runs needed to win from the final over of the rain-affected game, Pakistan pacer Zaman Khan was able to keep the Sri Lanka batters in check as he conceded just two runs in four balls.

But, Charith Asalanka proved to be ultimate hero for Sri Lanka as he scored six runs in the last two balls to clinch the win.

The Pakistan side was left stunned as skipper Babar was visibly upset at how the game ended for his team. Kusal Mendis' 91 and an unbeaten 49 by Charith Asalanka helped Sri Lanka edge out Pakistan by two wickets in a last-ball thriller of the Asia Cup to set up a final clash with India.

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The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday held a review meeting of their woeful Asia Cup show in the wake of their World Cup squad announcement. All teams must finalise their 15-player squads for the cricket showpiece before the September 28 deadline, with any replacements after this date requiring approval from the ICC. "The philosophy behind this review was to create an atmosphere of open discussion and develop consensus," PCB chairman of the management committee Zaka Ashraf said in a statement. "The idea is to have everyone on board and debate about performances, identifying the problems and their solutions.” The review meeting was also attended by head coach Mickey Arthur, captain Babar Azam, vice-captain Shadab Khan and former skippers Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez.

"Why Blame Babar Azam Only When...?": Pakistan Greats On Team's Asia Cup Debacle

Pakistan legends Javed Miandad and Misbah ul Haq on Tuesday defended Babar Azam, saying the captain should not be squarely blamed for the below-par performance in the just-concluded Asia Cup as cricket is a team game. Talking to the media here at a match of the 40's Global Cricket Event, Miandad and Misbah both advised the country's cricket authorities to not press the panic button. "Why blame Babar Azam only when the rest of the team didn't perform as well in the Asia Cup matches against India and Sri Lanka," Miandad said.

War Of Words Between Babar Azam And Shaheen Afridi After Pakistan's Asia Cup 2023 Exit: Report

The Babar Azam-led Pakistan cricket team, despite a good start to the Asia Cup 2023, could not keep up the momentum and were knocked out of the Super 4 stage. The Pakistan team were pegged back by injuries of Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah too. Though they fought till the end, Pakistan could not go over the line as victors in a well-contested match against Sri Lanka, and were shown the door. The loss to Sri Lanka would rankle the team for a long time as it was one of the biggest tournament ahead of the Cricket World Cup in India.

Babar Azam Was Unable To Talk After Pakistan's Asia Cup 2023 Exit, Reveals Father

Kusal Mendis' 91 and an unbeaten 49 by Charith Asalanka helped Sri Lanka edge out Pakistan by two wickets in a last-ball thriller of the Asia Cup to set up a final clash with India. Chasing a DLS revised target of 252 in the 42-overs-a-side contest in Colombo, Sri Lanka needed eight from the final over and achieved the target with Asalanka's winning hit on the last ball. A raucous home crowd rejoiced but the result broke the heart of millions of fans awaiting an India-Pakistan final in the 50-over tournament, a prelude to the upcoming ODI World Cup.

Asia Cup 2023: In Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam 'Shoot-out Match', Pakistan Star Leading: Ex-Chennai Super Kings Star

Virat Kohli and Babar Azam have been two of the most celebrated batters among the modern-day greats. The sub-continent players have impressed in all three formats. Virat Kohli has so far played 111 Tests (8676 runs, average 49.29), 279 ODIs (13027 runs, average 57.38) and 115 T20Is (4008 runs, average 52.73). Pakistan captain Babar Azam, on the other hand, has so far played 49 tests (3772 runs, average 47.74), 107 ODIs (5380 runs, 58.47 average) and 104 T20Is (3485 runs, Average 41.48). Though Babar Azam is relatively much younger between the two, a comparison between has always dominated the narrative.

"Extremely Ordinary Captaincy": Gautam Gambhir Slams Babar Azam After Pakistan's Loss Against Sri Lanka In Asia Cup 2023

Former Indian cricket team opener Gautam Gambhir was extremely critical of Babar Azam's captaincy after Pakistan failed to reach the Asia Cup 2023 final on Thursday. The Babar-led side was defeated by Sri Lanka in a last-ball thriller with Charith Asalanka scoring six runs in the final two balls of the encounter. Gambhir was not happy with Babar's field placements as well as his use of the Pakistan bowlers during the game and he said that they could have saved way more runs in the field with a few tweaks.