So Near Yet So Far – T-20 Asia Cup was hotly contested with cricket fans expecting a Pakistan-India final and Pakistan coming out as the winner. Pakistan did reach the final alright but failed to clinch the trophy. A horror start to their run chase and laborious batting in the middle overs consigned Pakistan to a 23-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The most disappointing aspect of the event was that the Pakistani team started brilliantly after winning the advantageous toss and deciding to let Sri Lankans bat first. Pakistani pacers immediately rattled the Sri Lanka batsmen and it looked that the team would not be able to bat through all the twenty overs.
However, after the first 10 overs, Pakistan captain Babar Azam surprisingly opted for a defensive approach, allowing Sri Lanka to make an almost miraculous recovery to finish with 170-6, a total that was a problem for the jittery Pakistani team. Pakistani batsmen tried all they could but could not get away with tight bowling and extremely flawless fielding of their opponents. The defeat came as a huge disappointment to Pakistanis cheering the team on the ground and the ones glued to their televisions. The Weekender
