In the 15th match of Asia Cup 2025, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by 5 wickets. Pakistan successfully chased a target of 134 runs in just 18 overs to secure the victory. This win marks Pakistan's first victory in the Super-4 round.
Sports News: The 15th match of the Super-4 stage of Asia Cup 2025 was played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In this high-voltage encounter, Pakistan made a remarkable comeback, defeating Sri Lanka by 5 wickets. Chasing a small but challenging target of 134 runs, Pakistan secured the win in 18 overs. This was Pakistan's first victory in the Super-4 stage, while Sri Lanka suffered its second consecutive defeat. With this loss, Sri Lanka's hopes of reaching the final have now become extremely dim.
Pakistan's Batting: Nawaz and Talat Emerge as Heroes
Chasing the target, Pakistan got off to a good start. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman added 45 runs for the first wicket. Farhan scored 24 runs off 15 balls, while Fakhar played an innings of 17 runs off 19 balls. Pakistan's middle order faltered slightly. Saim Ayub was dismissed after scoring just 2 runs, and Salman Agha also couldn't progress beyond 5 runs. By the time they reached 80 runs, Pakistan had lost 5 wickets.
However, an excellent partnership between Hussain Talat (32 not out) and Mohammad Nawaz (38 not out) then rescued the team from trouble. Both batsmen maintained a balance of composure and aggression, guiding the team to the target in the 18th over. Among Sri Lanka's bowlers, Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga each picked up 2 wickets but failed to secure a win for their team.
Sri Lanka's Innings: Kamindu Mendis' Half-Century Goes in Vain
Electing to bat first after losing the toss, the Sri Lankan team had an extremely poor start. Both their openers were back in the pavilion for just 18 runs. Mendis couldn't even open his account and was out on the very first ball. Nissanka scored 8 runs off 7 balls. Kusal Perera (15) and Charith Asalanka (20) also failed to convert their starts into big innings.
However, Kamindu Mendis held one end steady. He played a resilient innings of 50 runs off 44 balls, including 3 fours and 2 sixes. In the lower order, Wanindu Hasaranga (15 off 13 balls) and Chamika Karunaratne (17 off 21 balls) provided useful contributions. The entire Sri Lankan team could only manage 133 runs in the allotted 20 overs.
From Pakistan's side, fast bowler Shaheen Afridi delivered an excellent bowling performance. He picked up 3 wickets for 28 runs in 4 overs. Besides him, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan also bowled economically, maintaining pressure on the opposition batsmen.
