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Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: Dasun Shanaka Dedicates Asia Cup Win To Crisis-Hit Sri Lanka

Skipper Dasun Shanaka on Sunday called the Asia Cup triumph a "real turnaround" for Sri Lankan cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup and dedicated the win to the crisis-hit nation. Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 23 runs in the final with Bhanuka Rajapaksa hitting an unbeaten 71 and Wanindu Hasaranga starring with bat and ball in Dubai. The win was nothing short of a fairytale ending for a team which started the tournament, a precursor to the World Cup starting next month in Australia, with an embarrassing loss against Afghanistan.

Asia Cup 2022: Bhanuka Rajapaksa hails 'great win' as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to win title

Sri Lanka's cricket has proved a point to the world with their sixth Asia Cup title after his unbeaten 71 set up a commanding 23-run win over Pakistan. Fast bowler Pramod Madushan (4-34) and Wanindu Hasaranga (3-27) shared seven wickets between them to bowl out Pakistan for 147 while chasing 171 in Dubai. Earlier the left-handed Rajapaksa put on a key 58-run stand for the sixth wicket with Hasaranga, who hit 36, to help Sri Lanka to 170-6 after being in trouble at 58-5. Sri Lanka, who had to abandon plans to host the competition due to political unrest, bounced back from an embarrassing opening defeat by Afghanistan to win the tournament, a curtain-raiser for next month's T20 World Cup in Australia. "We always wanted to show the whole world (what we can do)," said man of the match Rajapaksa. "Some decades back we had some sort of aggression in our side and we wanted to create those moments again. As a unit we are doing fantastically well at the moment and we look forward to the World Cup."

Sri Lanka surprise, Virat Kohli comeback: Five Asia Cup talking points

Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 23 runs in Dubai on Sunday to clinch their sixth Asia Cup. AFP Sport looks at five things we learned from the six-nation tournament, which was a precursor for next month's T20 World Cup in Australia. Pundits gave Sri Lanka little chance of making the Super Four after an embarrassingly one-sided opening defeat against Afghanistan, but five successive wins took them to Asia Cup glory. Sri Lanka beat favourites India in the Super Four and then got past Pakistan twice to give the young team confidence going into the T20 World Cup in Australia, where they will have to progress through a qualifying round. But Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who hit an unbeaten 71 in the final, said he believed a rejuvenated Sri Lanka could ride the momentum of their Asia Cup triumph and go all the way in the T20 showpiece.

Watch: Pakistan's Shadab Khan Jokingly Tries To Raise Umpire's Finger After Failed DRS

Sri Lanka lifted their sixth Asia Cup title after beating Pakistan by 23 runs in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. After being put in to bat, Sri Lanka lost three wickets in the powerplay, and lost half of their batters for a total of 58. However, Bhanuka Rajapaksa hit an unbeaten 71 off 54 balls to steer Sri Lanka to a strong total of 170 for six in 20 overs. However, he was lucky to have stayed on the pitch for that long, having survived an LBW appeal in the final over of the powerplay.

Asia Cup win lifts spirits of battered Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka burst into spontaneous celebrations on Sunday as the South Asian nation won the Asia Cup tournament in the shortest form of cricket in Dubai. Fire crackers burst, cars honked and fans danced at the seafront Galle Face promenade in the capital, where the tournament was televised live on a giant screen. "This is a super surprise," said Mohamed Thimal, 24, who watched the game at Galle Face. "We didn't expect a win because we have not won a tournament recently." "Very happy, very happy," shouted Jameel Irshad, who was celebrating with friends at Galle Face, which until July was the launch pad for toppling president Gotabaya Rajapaksa over economic mismanagement. The country is enduring hyper inflation, lengthy power blackouts and is facing acute shortages of food, fuel and medicines after running out of foreign exchange to pay for imports since late last year.

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Dubai Sport News

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: Dasun Shanaka Dedicates Asia Cup Win To Crisis-Hit Sri Lanka

Asia Cup 2022: Bhanuka Rajapaksa hails 'great win' as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to win title

Sri Lanka surprise, Virat Kohli comeback: Five Asia Cup talking points

Watch: Pakistan's Shadab Khan Jokingly Tries To Raise Umpire's Finger After Failed DRS

Asia Cup win lifts spirits of battered Sri Lanka

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Rajapaksa's unbeaten 71 lifts Sri Lanka to 170-6 in Asia Cup final

Bhanuka Rajapaksa leads Sri Lanka’s renaissance as they claim Asia Cup win over Pakistan