Pakistan pacer Zaman Khan was tasked with leading his team to the Asia Cup final as Sri Lanka needed eight runs to win the match in the final of the Super 4 match on Thursday. Zaman, who came into the side after injuries to Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, did well in the first four deliveries and conceded just two runs. But he conceded six runs in the last two deliveries as Charith Asalanka took the Islanders to the final of the tournament.
Zaman, who took to Twitter (now X) after Pakistan’s elimination from the Asia Cup, was dejected as he posted his pictures from the match with a heartbroken emotion and the caption: “I tried”.
I’ve tried #PAKvsSL pic.twitter.com/mpmGG4KZWO
— Zaman Khan (@zamannKhan) September 14, 2023
Explaining his decision to bowl newcomer Zaman Khan in the final over of the match, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said he was adamant about giving his ‘best bowlers’ the last two overs. It was Shaheen Afridi who had bowled the penultimate one for the team.
“Finally we decided to bowl our best bowlers. That’s why I decided to bowl Shaheen penultimate and then we believed in Zaman Khan for the final. SL played very well, they played better cricket than us, that’s why they won. We weren’t level with our bowling and fielding, that’s why we lost,” Babar said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
When asked about an important factor that could have been different, Babar said: “In the middle overs we are not bowling well. That collaboration (between Mendis and Samarawickrama) cost us a lot of money. We start well, we finish well, but we don’t take wickets in the middle overs.”
The loss means Pakistan is out of the Asia Cup, while Sri Lanka will face India in the final on Sunday.