New Delhi: After India storms into the finals after defeating Pakistan and Sri Lanka within the span of 24 hours, the hosts Pakistan now face the danger of getting eliminated from the Super 4 of Asia Cup 2023.
𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹! 🙌
Well done #TeamIndia 👏👏#AsiaCup2023 | #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/amuukhHziJ
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 12, 2023
Pakistan was sitting at the top of the points table after beating Bangladesh comfortably. However, after getting thrashed by the Indian team in their second match by a record margin of 228 runs, Pakistan suffered a huge drop in their net run rate and is now standing one step closer to getting knocked out.
Hosts Pakistan at the moment is sitting at number 3 spot despite having the same fate as the defending champions Sri Lanka, with one win and one loss. However, the defending champion outranks them thanks to their superior net run rate.
Studying the possibilities of India-Pak final clash
Pakistan will now be facing Sri Lanka in a do-or-die clash on Thursday, September 14. Pakistan desperately needs a win, as any other outcome will result in the end of their journey.
The only scenario where Pakistan can qualify for the finals is if they win their match against Sri Lanka and go through with 4 points. On the other hand, if Sri Lanka manages to win, they will be facing India in the finals.
Notably, the clash between the last edition finalists also faces the danger of getting washed away, as the early weather reports show a 90 per cent rain chance throughout the day.
In case the match gets washed away, the points will be shared, and both teams will end up with 3 points each. Sri Lanka will end up going through to the finals in that case because of their superior net run rate.
India’s entry into Asia Cup finals
Earlier on Tuesday, with the help of a scintillating bowling performance from their bowling unit, India defeated Sri Lanka by 41 runs and booked their ticket to the finals.
India gave Sri Lanka a target of 214 runs. In reply, the Sri Lankan team were bundled out on 172, despite the gallant efforts from Wellalage and De Silva, who added 70 runs for the 7th wicket after the top order collapse.
Kuldeep Yadav was once again the star of the night for India, with 4 wickets under his name.
The finals of the Asia Cup 2023, will be played on Sunday, September 17, at Colombo.
