Irfan Pathan, the former Indian cricket team all-rounder, playfully teased Pakistan cricket team and its fans after they were knocked out of the Asia Cup 2023. Pakistan lost a close match to Sri Lanka in Colombo on September 14, which eventually kicked them out of the tournament.
In this kind of virtual semi-final, both co-hosts battled for a spot in the final against India. Rain did play a bit of a spoilsport, so the match length was shortened to 42 overs per side.
Opting to bat first, Pakistan cricket team scored 252 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, thanks to Mohammad Rizwan unbeaten 86 runs and important contribution Abdullah Shafique being the top run-scorers for the Men in Green side in this Asia Cup encounter.
In response, Sri Lanka was led by Kusal Mendis, who scored 91, and Sadeera Samarawickrama, who himself scored 48 runs. Charith Asalanka, remained not out for 49 runs, sealed the win for Sri Lanka on the last ball, securing a 2-wicket victory. As a result, Sri Lanka will face India in the final on Sunday, September 17.
After the match, Irfan Pathan shared his thoughts on social media platform X(formerly Twitter), suggesting that it would be more competitive for India to face Sri Lanka in the final, rather than Pakistan. This opinion stemmed from India’s dominant performance against Pakistan earlier in the Super Four stage, where they won by a staggering 228 runs against their neighbours.
During that match, India scored 356 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 50 overs, with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul both scoring unbeaten centuries, and Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill contributing with fifties. In response, Pakistan was bowled out for just 128 runs, with Kuldeep Yadav taking 5 wickets for 28 runs.
Irfan Pathan’s post on social media read, “Playing the finals against Sri Lanka will be a better challenge for Team India, as it won’t be a one-sided affair.”
Playing finals against Sri Lanka will be better for team India as it won’t be a one sided affair.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 15, 2023
