Wanindu Hasaranga helps Sri Lanka down Pakistan in Asia Cup final dress rehearsal | Cricket News

DUBAI: Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga led Sri Lanka’s bowling charge to set up a comfortable five-wicket win over Pakistan on Friday in their dress rehearsal for the Asian Cup final.
Both teams have already booked their place in Sunday’s title clash at the Twenty20 World Cup preparation tournament in October-November.
Hasaranga returned numbers of 3-21 with his leg rotation to help beat Pakistan for 121 in 19.1 overs after opting to play first in Dubai.
Sri Lanka slipped to 29-3 in their pursuit before Pathum Nissanka (55 not out) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (24) put on a key 51 position as the island nation hit their mark with three overs to spare.

Southpaw Rajapaksa went down after his 19-ball shot but Nissanka held on and Hasaranga hit the winners as Sri Lanka recorded their fourth consecutive win.
It was the Sri Lankan bowlers who started the team’s dominance as rookie fast bowler Pramod Madushan struck in his first inning.
He fired in-form Mohammad Rizwan, who is second to Virat Kohli in the tournament scoring charts, to the pavilion for 14.
Chamika Karunaratne ended Fakhar Zaman’s stay on the 13th and Pakistan slipped again when Hasaranga beat Azam.
Babar, who struggled in the tournament with scores of 10, 9, 14 and a draw in his previous rounds, started with a delicious forehand for four but couldn’t produce a decisive score.
Pakistan continued to lose wickets and Hasaranga ended their spell with two successive wickets to flatten the Pakistani baton, who survived only 19.1 overs despite a late appearance of 26 by Mohammad Nawaz.
Spinner Maheesh Theekshana and Madushan took two wickets each.
Pakistan’s fast bowlers also picked up three early wickets to put Sri Lanka on the back foot before Nissanka and southpaw Rajapaksa got the chase back on track.
Mohammad Hasnain gave the team a dream start when he took out Kusal Mendis for a first-ball duck on second ball of the innings.
His fast companion Haris Rauf got a wicket apiece in his first two overs to dismiss Danushka Gunathilaka, for nothing, and Dhananjaya de Silva, for nine.
Nissanka then launched with Rajapaksa and despite losing his partner after a strong position, he lifted his seventh T20 fifty for Sri Lanka.
He was then joined by skipper Dasun Shanaka, who turned 31 on Friday and hit 21 out of 16 before heading to Hasnain.
Pre-tournament favourites, India, who have lost two of their three Super Four matches, crashed out following Afghanistan’s loss to Pakistan on Wednesday.