Twitter breathes sigh of relief as Hasaranga cameo helps Sri Lanka avoid upset

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk,SportsCafe Editor

27
Sri lanka beat Hong Kong by four wickets

Sri Lanka beat Hong Kong by four wickets in the eighth game of the Asia Cup T20 2025. Nizakat Khan and Hong Kong bowlers' efforts go in vain as Sri Lanka finish the game with seven balls to spare, as Hasaranga finishes the tight game with a crucial cameo at the backend

Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to put Hong Kong into bat on a tough-looking batting surface in Dubai. However, the Hong Kong openers Zeeshan Ali and Anshuman Rath started to score at a brisk rate, with Zeeshan playing the aggressor and Rath rotating the strike at the other end. Though the partnership of 41 was eventually broken in the fifth over by Chameera, as Zeeshan skied a top edge to the keeper on a score of 23, they still managed to finish the powerplay on a decent score of 42/1. The next four overs saw a sudden decline in the scoring rate as Babar Hayat and Rath struggled to get going in the middle overs. Hayat's struggles came to an end in the ninth over as he was stumped by Kusal Mendis off Wanindu Hasaranga despite fumbling the ball on the first attempt. With only 20 runs coming off the last 24 balls, Hong Kong were in a slightly tough position at 62/2 at the halfway stage. Despite the early struggles, Rath and Nizakat Khan formed a decent partnership of 61 before Rath was dismissed in the 16th over by Chameera after a hard-fought knock of 48 off 46 deliveries. This was the perfect moment for the Lankan Lions as they still managed to control the run flow with the score reading 118/3 with four overs to go. There was a bit of worry created for the associate nations as Yasim Murtaza got out cheaply in the 18th over. However, Nizakat, who had survived a scare in the 17th due to a no-ball by Nuwan Thushara, took his team to a defendable score of 149/4 and remained unbeaten on 52 off 38 deliveries. This knock also made him only the second batter to score a half-century in the Asia Cup T20. 

The Lankan did not have the best of starts as the Hong Kong bowlers contained the batters in the first three, only conceding 11 runs. Though Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka began to break the shackles in the fourth over by Ayush Shukla, the young pacer came back on the last delivery by dismissing Mendis as he was caught easily by deep mid-wicket. It was a quiet power play for the Lankan Lions as they ended the first six overs on a score of 35/1. Despite the slightly underwhelming start, Nissanka and Kamil Mishara seemed to have got the Lankans back on track with a few big hits. Unfortunately, as soon as the stand started to look threatening, Mishara was dismissed in the 10th over by Aizaz Khan. With this wicket, the game was back in the balance with the score reading 65/2 at the halfway stage. Though the game was neck and neck in the first half of the innings, a 50+run partnership between Kusal Perera and the poor efforts in the field by Hong Kong put the Lankans in a comfortable position at the end of 15 overs. The Island nation only needed 32 off the last 30 deliveries with the score at 118/2. However, there was a bit of a surprise in the next over as Nissanka was run out after a great knock of 68 off 44 deliveries on the first delivery of the 16th over, and Kusal Perera was dismissed LBW on 20 on the very next delivery by the Hong Kong skipper. This over-triggered a collapse as the Sri Lanka skipper Charitha Asalanka and Kamindu fell cheaply, bringing Hong Kong back in the game. However, as things started to get tough for the Lankans Wanindu Hasaranga came to his teams aide with a cameo of  20 off nine balls and ensured that the chase was complete with seven balls to spare.

SL Won!

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Well played!

Fifty!

50!

Yeah!

Great player!

Yes!

Fifty!

Legend!

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