United News of Bangladesh

India walk into the Asia Cup final with two convincing wins over Pakistan already in the bag. Pakistan managed a ticket for the final with something rarer: momentum salvaged when things looked shaky. Strip away the noise about handshakes, hearings and history, and tonight looks like a test of temperament — how each side copes with the first six overs and just as crucially, the last five. Start with the Powerplay: India have often sprinted to 50 inside five overs, with opening batter Abhishek Sharma throwing punches early and Shubman Gill timing his strokes. That cushion has spared a middle order that hasn’t always been fluent. Pakistan know the calculation: If Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf don’t crack India’s top two in the first 18 balls, they’re left chasing angles for the next dozen overs. Shaheen looks closer to his old self — tailing the ball in, hitting the deck hard, and finding wickets in the first over. Rauf, sometimes criticised in the longer format, is better suited to T20 bursts: one over in the Powerplay, another around the 12th, just to jolt rhythm. If Pakistan can take out one opener and push Suryakumar Yadav’s entry into the spinners’ stretch, they tilt the tempo their way. ICC warns Indian cricketer Suryakumar to steer clear of politics after Pakistan complaint Flip it around, and India’s start with Jasprit Bumrah is all about control. He doesn’t always blast doors open; more often he keeps them locked. His 18-for-2 the other night showed how quickly he can put a chase on hold. That sets up the Kuldeep–Varun combination to operate without chasing wickets. Dot balls early, and Pakistan’s middle order is forced to gamble against turn. The closing overs bring a different kind of strain. India have generally finished better — either because they’re ahead by the 15th over, or by nailing their yorker-and-slower-ball routines. When they slip, it’s often around the 17th, when a chase suddenly breathes again. Pakistan have lived the reverse: scraping to par scores, then defending them by clamping the final five overs. Shaheen tends to return clear-eyed, Rauf unleashes the bouncer, and a third option — maybe Abrar or a seamer — cleans up the margins. Selection calls feed into that temperament test. India are likely to bring back Bumrah and Shivam Dube after a rest. Dube didn’t click in his last tactical move but still offers a seam option and reach at the finish. Pakistan, settled for three games now, look likely to stick. Captain Salman Agha put it plainly: don’t muzzle the quicks — let them impose themselves, as long as they don’t cross the line. And then there are the small things that finals often swing on: a relay throw cut off cleanly, a sharp take at 130 kph, running the first hard to stretch singles into twos. Bangladesh crash out after batting collapse hands Pakistan Asia Cup final spot India’s fielding against Bangladesh was patchy; they can’t afford repeats. Pakistan’s calling has been jittery; one misjudged single in Dubai can flip momentum. Yes, match-ups matter — Abhishek vs Shaheen, Kuldeep vs Fakhar, Abrar vs Tilak. But finals tend to punish panic and reward clarity. The side that breathes through the Powerplay and keeps its nerve in the last five overs will be the one lifting the cup.

Sri Lanka have outclassed Pakistan with the bat, outsmarted them with the ball, and outdid the Green Shirts in the field in Dubai to win the Asia Cup for the sixth time. Batting first, Sri Lanka lost a few quick wickets before Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga came to their team's rescue. It was the fourth Asia Cup final between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In the last three, Sri Lanka won twice. Chasing Sri Lanka's 170, Pakistan were bowled out for 147. Mohammad Rizwan and Iftekhar Ahmed tried their best, but the other batters failed to do enough. Rizwan hit 55 and Iftikhar 32. But the only other batter who reached double-digits was Haris Rauf, usually a bowler. He made 13. For Sri Lanka, Pramod Madushan, the right-arm pacer, took four wickets for 34 runs in four overs. Hasaranga picked up three and Chamika Karunaratne two. Pakistan were never in a position to win the match after the first few overs of the match. They picked up some quick wickets, but Sri Lankan batting slowly crawled back to life after being temporarily frozen. Earlier, Rajapaksa smashed an outstanding 71 off 45 balls to power Sri Lanka to 170 for six. Put in to bat first, Sri Lanka lost five wickets in just 58 runs. Pakistan made a great start by sending three Sri Lankan batters back to the dressing room inside the powerplay. Naseem Shah picked up Kusal Mendis in the first over. Kusal made a golden duck. Sri Lanka also lost Pathum Nissanka (8), Danushka Gunathilaka (1) and Dasun Shanaka (2) in quick succession. Dhananjaya de Silva scored 28 to bring Sri Lanka back on track after the initial blow. Rajapaksa and Hasaranga scored 58-run on the sixth wicket. Hasraranga fell prey to Haris Rauf for 36 off 21 balls. Chamika Karunaratne's 14-run cameo also helped the Lankans put up a good total on board. For Pakistan, Haris Rauf bagged three wickets conceding 29 runs while Naseem, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar took one wicket each.  

Bhanuka Rajapaksa smashed an outstanding 71 off 45 balls to propel Sri Lanka to 170 for six in the final of the Asia Cup against Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai. After being sent to bat first after losing the toss, Sri Lanka lost five wickets in just 58 runs. Pakistan made a great start sending three Sri Lankan batters back to the dressing room inside the powerplay. Naseem Shah scalped Kusal Mendis in the first over. Kusal suffered a golden duck. They also lost Pathum Nissanka (8), Danushka Gunathilaka (1) and Dasun Shanaka (2) in quick succession. Dhananjaya de Silva scored 28 in his try to bring Sri Lanka back to track after the initial blow. He was going well until giving a return catch to Iftikhar Ahmed. Read: Who is the current top Asian leg-spinner in T20I Cricket? When Sri Lanka’s batting line looked fragile and waiting for a disaster, Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga came up with a 58-run stand on the sixth wicket, which eventually helped them to post a challenging total. It was a tremendous act of recovery from Sri Lanka that helped them to have a total exceeding 160-run in the final. Hasraranga fell prey to Haris Rauf for 36 off 21 balls. Chamika Karunaratne’s 14-run cameo also helped the Lankans to put up a good total to defend in the final. After the sixth-wicket stand was broken, Sri Lanka added 50-plus runs in the last 30 balls with the help of Chamika’s 14. For Pakistan, Haris Rauf bagged three wickets conceding 29 runs while Naseem, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar took one wicket each. If Pakistan had not missed some catches at the end, Haris would have ended with a few more wickets. Pakistan had shown some good fielding, they would have wrapped up Sri Lanka for a smaller total. The team of Babar Azam was so sloppy on the ground in the final.