Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka Win Sixth Title by 23 Runs — Bhanuka Rajapaksa's 71* Off 45 Rescues Total Against Pakistan

Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup 2022 on 11 September 2022 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, UAE, defeating Pakistan by 23 runs. Sri Lanka scored 170/6 in 20 overs — recovering from a precarious 67/5 through Bhanuka Rajapaksa's 71* off 45 balls and a 58-run sixth-wicket rescue with Wanindu Hasaranga. Pakistan were bowled out for 147 in 20 overs in reply. Rajapaksa won Player of the Match; Wanindu Hasaranga won Player of the Tournament with 66 runs and 9 wickets across the competition. Dasun Shanaka captained Sri Lanka; Babar Azam captained Pakistan. It was Sri Lanka's sixth Asia Cup title.

67/5 to 170/6: Rajapaksa's 71* Rescues Sri Lanka

Bhanuka Rajapaksa's 71* off 45 balls — produced when Sri Lanka had collapsed to 67 for 5 wickets and were in danger of posting an inadequate total — gave the 2022 Asia Cup final its defining batting performance. Rajapaksa and Wanindu Hasaranga adding 58 runs from their desperate sixth-wicket partnership rebuilt Sri Lanka from 67/5 to 170/6 — a recovery of 103 runs for the sixth wicket that transformed an inadequate total into a competitive one. Pakistan's chase of 171 reaching only 147 all out — 23 runs short — reflected how Rajapaksa's batting rescue had given Sri Lanka's bowling the total they needed to defend. The 67/5 position at the partnership's start gave the 2022 Asia Cup final the tipping-point moment that made Rajapaksa's innings the championship-deciding contribution.

Wanindu Hasaranga: Player of the Tournament with 9 Wickets and 66 Runs

Wanindu Hasaranga's Player of the Tournament performance — 9 wickets and 66 runs across the 2022 Asia Cup — reflected the leg-spinning all-rounder's sustained quality across Sri Lanka's entire tournament campaign, beyond just his sixth-wicket partnership contribution in the final. Hasaranga, who had become one of T20 cricket's premier wrist-spin bowlers through multiple franchise competitions (IPL, BBL, PSL), combining wicket-taking bowling and batting contribution in the same Asia Cup final and across the tournament gave him the individual performance that the tournament's top award recognised. Pakistan's 147 all out in the Asia Cup 2022 final — 23 runs short of Sri Lanka's 170/6 — reflected the bowling quality that Hasaranga's wicket-taking across the tournament had established.

Asia Cup 2022 in Context

The Asia Cup 2022 — played in T20 format in the UAE in August-September 2022 — was contested ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, giving the tournament its preparation-for-the-global-event context for all competing teams. Sri Lanka's 23-run win over Pakistan — recovering from 67/5 to 170/6 through Rajapaksa's 71*, then bowling Pakistan out for 147 — gave the 2022 Asia Cup its final narrative of resilience rewarded: a team that lost five wickets with the score at 67, rebuilt through one partnership, and defended the total to win. Pakistan's 147 all out, despite having Babar Azam's batting lineup available, reflected the Sri Lanka bowling performance that held the defending pressure that 170/6 required across 20 overs.