There’s only one sight more compelling than a tearaway in full flight—two of them operating in tandem, hunting in a partnership. Pakistan have the most exciting pace attack of the Asia Cup, and for the first half of their innings in the final against Sri Lanka on Sunday, they were on top of their game. Babar Azam won an important toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, a venue indisputably favouring the team chasing.
Early blows
As if in thanksgiving, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf cranked it up, sending the speed gun and pulses racing and putting Sri Lanka’s top order through a torrid time. It took a well-chiselled half-century from Bhanuka Rajapaksa for them to recover and post a competitive 170 for six. It was Naseem who struck the first blow, like against India a fortnight back with the scalp of KL Rahul, in the first over of the game.
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Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf (left)celebrates the wicket of SL’s Danushka Gunathilaka. Pic/AP; PTI
On that occasion, the Indian vice-captain paid the penalty for tentativeness, but the delivery that accounted for Kusal Mendis, for a second successive first-ball duck, was a peach that jagged back a mile after pitching and zoned in on the stumps off the pad. Strike one to Pakistan, still smarting from the five-wicket loss to the same opponents on Friday.
Rauf was not to be outdone. He elicited a false stroke from the in-form Pathum Nissanka in his first over, then produced a screamer that defeated Danushka Gunathilaka’s expansive drive, snaked through the gate and pegged back off-stump. At 36-3, Sri Lanka needed a saviour and Dhananjaya de Silva rose to the challenge with a sparkling cameo but when Shadab Khan and surprise package Iftikhar Ahmad struck a blow each, the islanders were on the mat at 58-5 and an early finish loomed.
Poor fielding
Enter Rajapaksa, stage left. All tournament, he has promised much, and he delivered on that promise with a wonderful display of ball-striking, aided in no small measure by Pakistan’s butter-fingered catching. Alongside Wanindu Hasaranga, then Chamika Karunaratne, the inventive left-hander strung together useful stands for the sixth and seventh wickets respectively to ensure Sri Lanka’s bowlers had a meaningful target to defend.
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