Why Did Babar Azam’s Team Lose the Asia Cup Match Despite Pakistan and Sri Lanka Both Scoring 252?

Posted on 15 September 2023 by Qasim Muzammal

In comparison to Sri Lanka’s 252/8 in the same number of overs, Pakistan scored 252/7. However, the Sri Lankan team emerged victorious.

The Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 match came down to the final ball, with Dasun Shanaka’s team claiming the victory. Pakistan set Sri Lanka a goal of 252 runs to reach after the game was trimmed to 42 overs per side due to rain. Though both Pakistan and Sri Lanka managed to score 252 runs, the match’s ambiguity has left viewers scratching their heads. Nevertheless, the islanders won the game.Babar Azam’s Team Lose the Asia Cup Match.

Pakistan scored 252 runs in 42 overs while batting first, losing 7 wickets in the process. However, the game was originally scheduled to last 45 overs per side. Before the game began, rain began falling at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, delaying the coin toss and the start of play.

It was stated at the beginning of the game that each team will bat for 45 overs. The authorities decided to further shorten the game to 42 over for each team after the rain started to pour again. When the rain started to pour for the second time, Pakistan was batting on 130/5 after 27.4 overs, turning the game into a 42-over struggle.

Why did Pakistan’s revised score end up being 251 runs?

1 run was taken out of the pot as part of the Duckworth-Lewis calculation when Pakistan scored 252 runs in 42 overs. The deduction was made as a result of Pakistan losing 5 wickets prior to the second rain delay of the game. As a result, the final score was 251, and Sri Lanka now needs 252 runs to win the game.

Additionally, it should be remembered that Sri Lanka’s goal would have been 255 runs rather than 252, had Pakistan not lost Mohammad Nawaz’s wicket just before the rain delay in the 28th over. Keeping wickets in hand is essential for teams in DLS calculations.

Getting off to a strong start becomes quite essential for teams in rain-affected games. Even if a side improves later in the match, losing early wickets frequently reduces their chances of attaining a better revised total.

This was the situation for Pakistan as Sri Lanka maintained composure in the last overs to advance the team to the championship. Charith Asalanka, a batting all-rounder, scored the winning runs for his team with 6 runs needed from the final 2 balls to advance to the Asia Cup 2023 championship game versus India.