The second-best innings of Charith Asalanka’s career were against Pakistan, according to him

Charith Asalanka, a cricket star from Sri Lanka, declared his joy after playing a spectacular inning in the Asia Cup 2023, describing it as the second-best of his career. With only two wickets remaining, Asalanka’s heroics helped the Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lankan team defeat Pakistan in an exciting match, sealing their place in the championship match.

As their middle order collapsed, Sri Lanka found themselves in a vulnerable position with a difficult goal of 252 runs. Asalanka, though, led his squad to a remarkable triumph thanks in large part to his ability to remain composed under duress.

During the post-match news conference, Asalanka discussed his opinions about the tense last seconds of the game. It’s a big field, so I only considered how I might identify the openings and run quickly. I told Pathirana to try to make short runs,” he said.

According to Asalanka, who had anticipated the bowler’s next move, “I expected either a bouncer or a yorker, but he shocked me with a slower ball. Thankfully, it was in my advantage. I’m ecstatic beyond words. Mendis and Sadeera both batted well. My responsibility is to complete games, and I’m happy to help. In my opinion, this inning comes in second,” he said.

Kusal Mendis, who scored an outstanding 91 runs off 87 deliveries, emerged as another star performance for Sri Lanka. His important combination with Sadeera Samarawickwarma (48) produced 100 runs off 98 balls, laying the groundwork for the nail-biting conclusion.

Mendis, who was chosen Man of the Match, expressed his happiness with his performance by saying, “I’m satisfied with my participation and excited to reach the final. When we lost those two wickets, we were a little uneasy, but Charith in the middle gave us confidence. He has already used Afghanistan as an example. Being in the final is a terrific experience, and our bowlers played well as well.

Sri Lanka has now advanced to two straight Asia Cup finals under the captaincy of Dasun Shanaka. Shanaka praised the efforts of his squad as well as the breadth of their bowling assault. “Our key bowlers are Wanindu, Kumara, and Dusmantha, but we also have other bowlers who are doing a great job. This group is young and skilled. For the most part, we had the game under control, but the loss of wickets forced us into the last over. We gave Pakistan an opportunity to retake the lead, but we trusted Charith to lead us to victory. We spoke about our batting strategy and took note of the errors we made early in the India game. “Kusal and Sadeera played outstanding innings,” said Shanaka.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, expressed regret when his team was eliminated from the competition and criticized the bowling performance that caused their demise.