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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Pramod Madushan and Wanindu Hasaranga shared 7 wickets between them as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 23 runs to win their sixth Asia Cup title on Sunday. Chasing 171 for victory, Pakistan were bowled out for 147 with Madushan claiming four wickets and Hasaranga taking 3-27 in Dubai. Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Rajapaksa's successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was among the first to congratulate the national team. "The President expressed his heartfelt thanks to all those who dedicated themselves for this great victory, despite the grave challenges Sri Lanka is currently facing," his office said in a statement. Government employee Prathana Weerasinghe noted that Sunday's cricket win came hours after Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup in women's netball at a tournament in