What all went right for Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup

The Asia Cup is an important tournament to any team, especially one that has never played it before. Sri Lanka had never played in the Asia Cup and they were placed as one of the lowest-ranked teams participating in the tournament. But they surprised everyone by coming out on top against India and Bangladesh, who are traditionally strong teams in Asia. The Lions beat India big time by winning by a margin of 132 runs in their first match. 

They then drew against Bangladesh to finish second for the first time ever. In their last game, against Afghanistan, they came very close to winning but lost eventually by 8 runs. However, overall, everything went right for Sri Lanka in this edition of the Asia Cup. Here are some of the reasons why:

Sri Lanka’s newly-found confidence

It would have been difficult for Sri Lanka to beat India, a team that has dominated Asia for years, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. But the Lions did just that with a rousing performance. In the first match, Sri Lanka beat India by a large margin of 132 runs. The way they got to the victory was very impressive. They were 10/3 in the sixth over with 52 runs required off the final 7 overs. 

This is a very rare occurrence in world cricket where a team gets to a target of 10/3 with over 50 runs required off the final over. But, Sri Lanka did just that and they won the match by 5 runs. At the Asia Cup, Sri Lanka played with a lot of confidence and that led to some positive results. Just one example is how they were 3/6 in the second innings against Bangladesh with the score at 144/8 in the 19th over. Sri Lanka then got off to good start with a 40-run partnership between Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis. The latter then went on to score a brilliant 64 off just 37 balls. This was what Sri Lanka needed to get a decent total and then defend it against a good Bangladesh bowling attack.

Dimuth Karunaratne’s debut as a specialist batsman

Dimuth Karunaratne scored his first ODI century in the Asia Cup. He got there in style, too. He scored his hundred in just 50 balls and he even managed to hit 18 fours and 3 sixes. Dimuth got to know about the century as soon as he was out for a duck. When he was hit on the shoulder, he knew he had hit the ball towards the boundary. He ran towards the boundary while the umpire was still inquiring whether he had hit it with the bat or not. 

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This is how Dimuth got to know immediately. Dimuth had already made his mark as a T20 specialist and that was why he was added to the team against India. But it was rare to see him in the ODI setup before the Asia Cup. 

Dimuth was obviously feeling good about his form and his confidence was at an all-time high. In the Asia Cup, Dimuth Karunaratne batted aggressively from the word go. He played a few shots that few other batsmen would have tried in the same situation. It was a great way to end his debut series with a memorable knock.

Dimuth Karunaratne’s role in the team

Dimuth Karunaratne was already a regular in the Test and T20 sides. But his debut in the one-day format was very important for Sri Lanka. He did the job well and Dimuth’s presence in the middle boosted the confidence of the other batsmen. It was not just Dimuth but the way he batted in the team helped Sri Lanka to get a decent total against Bangladesh. 

Dimuth Karunaratne rotated the strike very well and he kept rotating the strike even when Sri Lanka were 6/67. This helped the team to get a decent result. Dimuth Karunaratne has been playing for the national side since 2016. During this time, he has scored 5035 runs in 144 ODIs at an average of 48.70. He has scored 22 centuries and 20 fifties. Dimuth has also been a part of 22 T20Is and he has scored 957 runs in those games at an average of 21.10.

The bowling attack was consistent throughout the tournament

There were two bowlers in the Asia Cup team who were picked for the World Cup squad – Dilshan and Dilruwan. These two bowlers were brilliant all throughout the Asia Cup and they maintained a good rhythm. They did not get injured in the tournament and that was a huge positive for the team. Sri Lanka’s bowling attack was also very effective against Bangladesh in the final and they were able to restrict Afghanistan to a low score in their final game. 

The bowlers did not have a good time against India but they did very well against Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Sri Lanka’s bowling attack was missing in the World Cup but the Asia Cup was a good opportunity for them to get some experience. This was the first time for the new-look bowling attack to play together. It was good for the team that there was no deja vu for them in the Asia Cup and they could focus on their performance.

Sri Lanka had a strong bench strength to call upon in case of an injury crisis

As mentioned in the introduction, Sri Lanka were placed as one of the lowest-ranked teams participating in the Asia Cup. That made the job of winning the tournament even harder. But they surprised everyone by coming out on top against India and Bangladesh, who are traditionally strong teams in Asia. But Sri Lanka’s strength was in their bench strength and that was evident throughout the Asia Cup. 

They made up for the absence of Kusal Mendis and Dilruwan with the batting of Upul Tharanga and Danushka Gunathilaka. Upul Tharanga came in to bat at number 3 while Danushka Gunathilaka was their best bowler from the bench. Sri Lanka did very well to have such a strong bench strength during the Asia Cup and that was an important factor in their success.

Final Words

The Asia Cup was a great experience for Sri Lanka. They won the tournament for the first time and that is something that will always be remembered in Sri Lankan cricket history. But the most important thing is that the team learnt a lot from this tournament and they have a lot of positives to take from this experience. 

It is evident from the way Sri Lanka played during the Asia Cup that they are on the right path. They are improving with every series and that is a great sign for the team. The Lions will next take on Bangladesh in a bilateral series in the month of August. This is a good chance for the team to get some valuable experience against a strong Asian side.