Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2022 Final Live Streaming
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Before the Asia Cup, Sri Lanka vs Pakistan was a final that not many would have predicted, with India touted as favourites. Before this edition, the two teams last met in the tournament in 2014 when Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to claim the title. Although Sri Lanka emerged victorious against Pakistan in the Super 4 this time, it is tough to predict who holds an edge in this match where toss will play a crucial role.
While Sri Lanka have benefitted with some strong performances by their openers, Pakistan have managed to win some tight games, thanks to their lower and middle order. Both teams have a few issues to deal with. Who will come out on top? Here's a look at some of the factors that could play a key role in the final.
Win toss, win match
Similar to last year's T20 World Cup held in the UAE, the toss has played a major role in the competition. Since the start of 2021, there have been 21 T20Is played at the Dubai International Stadium and only on three occasions has the team batting first won the match. Those three games were played against Scotland, Hong Kong and Afghanistan by India and New Zealand. The Dubai pitch is known to be favourable for chasing because of two factors: dew and the pitch getting faster to bat on under lights.
Similar to last year's T20 World Cup held in the UAE, the toss has played a major role in the competition. Since the start of 2021, there have been 21 T20Is played at the Dubai International Stadium and only on three occasions has the team batting first won the match. Those three games were played against Scotland, Hong Kong and Afghanistan by India and New Zealand. The Dubai pitch is known to be favourable for chasing because of two factors: dew and the pitch getting faster to bat on under lights.
In the last 21 T20Is, only on one instance has a team that won the toss chosen to bat first. Since 2021, the average first innings winning score in Dubai is in excess of 190. In case teams bat first, they would want to score a minimum of 185 runs to give themselves a good chance. One approach the team batting first could look to do is to keep wickets in hand and then accelerate in the end to ensure they reach beyond par score rather than falling short.
Before this Asia Cup, one of the biggest concerns for Sri Lanka was their opening stand. They averaged 19.80 and struck at 117 since January 2022 without creating any impetus in the powerplay. Sri Lanka decided to replace Danushka Gunathilaka with Mendis for the Asia Cup and it has been a refreshing change. Barring the first game against Afghanistan, their openers have led from the front.
Nissanka and Mendis have struck at 143 at an average of 41.6 with four fifties in this competition. Mendis' ability to play spin and Nissanka's to counter pace have been key to their success. Sri Lanka have been the best team in the powerplay in this Asia Cup, scoring at 127.7 and hitting a boundary every 5.5 balls. The openers have also scored around 45% of the runs for Sri Lanka. If Pakistan need to get past Sri Lanka, they should get the openers out early to expose the middle order.
