PAK vs SL, Asia Cup 2022 Final: Great that many players stood up, won matches for country, says Babar Azam
PAK vs SL: Ahead of final of Asia Cup 2022 against Sri Lanka, Pakistan captain Babar Azam said it has been great for the side that throughout the tournament, many players stood up and won matches for the country.
Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday. “When building a team, it is great for us that different players have stood up when it counts and helped the team win matches. As a captain, this is important for me, and also it helps pave the path for future success for the team as well,” said Azam to the media ahead of the match.
“Looking back at this tournament, we have had some great matches and some tough contests. We have seen some great performances and also different players have shone and won Player of the match awards,” he added.
Azam said that as a team, it is to perform well and win the competition.
“As a captain leading a side in a final, it is exciting. We are now just one step away from our goal of winning the trophy. Every captain and team, dreams of winning the trophy. As a team, our goal is to perform well and also win the tournament,” he said.
Up until the final, Pakistan’s performance at the 2022 Asia Cup was strong.
In the group stage, they lost against their bitter rivals India by five wickets to begin their campaign. In contrast, they made a great comeback in the following game against Hong Kong, outscoring the opposition by just 38 runs to win by 155 runs.
They qualify for the Super Four stage with this victory.
Pakistan defeated India by five wickets to begin their Super Four phase. Then, in a thrilling last over, they managed to defeat Afghanistan by one wicket. They were defeated by Sri Lanka by five wickets in their final Super Four game.
With two victories in three games, they concluded the Super Four phase in second place on the points table.
Mohammad Rizwan, their standout wicketkeeper-batter, leads the team in runs scored. In five games, he has scored 226 runs at an average of 56.50. Also with his bat he has produced two half-centuries, with the top score of 78*.
Pakistan’s top wicket-taker is the spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who has eight wickets at an average of 13.37 and also a 6.05 economy rate.