Hasaranga, Sri Lanka’s Hot Openers, And Significance of Winning The Toss

Although India was widely considered to be the favorite coming into the Asia Cup, few people thought that Sri Lanka and Pakistan would meet in the final.

The last time these two teams faced in the event was in 2014 when Sri Lanka won the championship by defeating Pakistan.

Hasaranga Sri Lanka’s Openers

Despite Sri Lanka’s recent victory against Pakistan in the Super 4, it’s difficult to tell who will have the upper hand in this matchup where the toss will play a pivotal role.

Sri Lanka’s success can be attributed to the play of their openers, while Pakistan’s victories have come down to the wire owing to the efforts of their lower and middle order.

There are some problems on both sides. If anybody, who will it be? The following are some considerations that may be decisive in the grand finale.

Strategic Thoughts Win Toss, Win Match

The toss has been very important, just as it was in last year’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Out of the twenty-one Twenty20 Internationals played at the Dubai International Stadium since the beginning of 2021.

It just three have resulted in a victory for the side that batted first. India and New Zealand played three games against Scotland, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan. Due to dew and the pitch growing quicker to bat on under lights, the Dubai pitch is recognized for favoring chasing.

Only once in the previous 21 Twenty20 Internationals has the side that won the toss elected to bat first. Since 2020, the average first-innings winning score in Dubai has been more than 190.

Teams batting first should want to score at least 185 runs to have a chance of winning. The side batting first has a few options if they want to avoid falling short of their target score, one of which is to maintain wickets in hand and then accelerate toward the finish of the innings.

Test In Opposition To Spin

Surprisingly, neither the Pakistani nor the Sri Lankan hitters have done very well against spin throughout this competition. Apart from Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistani hitters have already been cautious while facing spin.

Some of the best batsmen in the competition including Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Babar Azam, and Khushdil Shah all have batting averages below 100 with spin. Sri Lanka will attempt to take advantage of this chink in Pakistan’s armor.

Pakistan may choose to elevate Shadab Khan and Nawaz to deal with the spinners inside the later innings and then play their tournament strategically to catch Sri Lanka off guard.

It’s notable how much better Kusal Mendis is at handling spin than the rest of Sri Lanka’s bowlers. The spinners have been no match for Mendis, as he has blasted 86 runs at a strike rate of 186.9 off 46 balls, including eight sixes.

However, batsmen like Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka, and Dasun Shanaka have had trouble while up against spin.

Against spin, Shanaka has scored 30 runs off of 33 balls, whereas Asalanka has managed just 7 runs off of 15 deliveries.

Nissanka, with the highest batting average among them, has hit 65 runs off-spinners in only 55 balls. In the current Asia Cup, spinners have been responsible for the dismissal of Shanaka three times, while they have done it twice including both Nissanka and Asalanka.

Hasaranga Sri Lanka's Hot Openers, And Significance of Winning The Toss Post Image

If Pakistan can get Mendis out of the game quickly, they may decide to bowl more spin. According to the statistics shown above, Shadab will be an important member of Pakistan’s squad both using the bat and the ball.

Assumption Of The Hasaranga

Wanindu Hasaranga took 3 for 21 when Sri Lanka and Pakistan faced in the Super 4. He got Babar, Iftikhar, and Asif Ali’s wickets to slow them down. Hasaranga’s T20I record against Pakistan is better than other opponents.

11 wickets at 9.09 and 6.25 runs per over from 96 balls. Pakistan has struggled to face his googly inside this competition. 72 runs in 63 balls, 4 wickets lost. Left-handed hitters might be used to counter Hasaranga. Hasaranga’s six wickets are right-hand hitters, while the left-hand bats have scored par.

Overcoming Sri Lanka’s Opening Pair

Sri Lanka’s opening stand was a worry before any of this Asia Cup. Since January 2022, they’ve averaged 19.80 and scored 117 without a powerplay. Sri Lanka substituted Mendis with Danushka Gunathilaka for the Asia Cup. Their openers have led, except against Afghanistan.

Nissanka and Mendis scored 143 at 41.6 with four fifties. Mendis’ spin and Nissanka’s pace-countering have helped them succeed.

Sri Lanka scored 127.7 and struck a boundary per 5.5 balls in the Asia Cup powerplay. Sri Lanka’s starters scored 45% of the runs. Pakistan should knock the openers out early to expose the middle order.

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