After Pakistan was defeated by Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup 2022 on September 11, former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq spoke on the significance of the strike rate in the shortest version of the game.
Inzamam was moved to remark on the strike rate of the batters after seeing the contrasting innings that were played by Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Mohammad Rizwan for their respective teams.
Rajapaksa produced a superb knock under duress as he came in to bat with the score at 36-3 within the powerplay itself. The flashy left-handed batter kept the pace going and blasted an unbeaten 71 off of 45 deliveries, which helped drive Sri Lanka to a respectable total of 170-6 in the first innings.
This one is for you Sri Lanka!. Thank you for your endless love and support. ❤❤ https://t.co/BWF3ooO7gq
— Bhanuka Rajapaksa (@BhanukaRajapak3) September 11, 2022
What did Inzamam-ul-Haq say?
Inzamam made the following statement on his YouTube channel, noting that Rajapaksa’s knock of 71 runs would have been pointless if it hadn’t come at a strike rate of 157.78:
“Hasaranga scored 31, and Rajapaksa scored 71, both of them were outstanding innings. It was a wonderful sight to see both the speed at which the runs were made and the situation in which they were made.
Had the 70 runs been scored at a more leisurely rate, the final score would have only been about 140, which Pakistan would have been able to chase down. Therefore, those seventy runs would have been for nothing.”
What a comeback by Sri Lanka – 58/5 in 8.5 overs to 170/6 in the Final of Asia Cup. Fantastic stuff by Bhanuka Rajapaksa and also Hasaranga.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 11, 2022
After Babar Azam was dismissed in the early stages of the run chase, wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan attempted, once again, to perform the position of the anchor in the team’s run chase.
In Twenty20 internationals, the player with the highest ranking hit 55 runs off of 49 deliveries. However, Pakistan’s run chase ultimately resulted in a loss of 23 runs.
Alongside their fiercest rivals, India, the Men in Green were widely considered to be among the favorites’ to win the Asia Cup in 2022. As a result of Sri Lanka’s spirited efforts, the squad will have to wait even longer to win the trophy, which they have been chasing for the last ten years.
