Fans react as Babar Azam departs for another low score in the 2022 Asia Cup final

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam once again failed to deliver for Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022. He departed after scoring only five runs in the summit clash against Sri Lanka in Dubai on Sunday (September 11).

The right-handed batter was caught brilliantly at fine-leg by Dilshan Madushanka off the bowling of Pramod Madushan. As a result, Pakistan were reduced to 22-1 in 3.2 overs while chasing 171 in the final against the Lankan side.

Babar experienced a nightmarish campaign with the bat in the Asia Cup. The leading Pakistan batsman registered a string of low scores throughout the tournament. He scored 5, 30, 0, 14, 9, and 10 (latest first) in six matches in the T20 tournament.

Cricket fans, including those from Pakistan took to Twitter to react after a shocking performance from the World No. 2 T20I batter in the tournament. Here are some of the tweets:

Asia Cup 2022 final: Bhanuka Rajapaksa guides Sri Lanka to 170/6 against Babar Azam-led Pakistan

Babar won the toss and asked Sri Lanka to bat first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The Islanders had a terrible start to their innings as they were reduced to 36/3 in 5.1 overs. Bhanuka Rajapaksa stood tall in the pressure situation. The Punjab Kings batter top-scored for his side with 71 runs off just 45 balls, which comprised three sixes and six fours.

RCB all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga also scored a crucial 36 runs off 21 deliveries, while Dhananjaya de Silva added a valuable 28 runs in 21 balls as Sri Lanka posted 170/6 in their allotted 20 overs.

Haris Rauf scalped three wickets for Pakistan, while Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, and Iftikhar Ahmed settled for one wicket each.

Pakistan winning the toss and batting second is seen as a major advantage as almost all the matches in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup were won by the side chasing.

However, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka stated that he doesn't consider the toss to be a major factor in deciding matches. In a press conference on the eve of the contest, he said:

While Pakistan are chasing their third Asia Cup title, Dasun Shanka and Co. are searching for their country's sixth title. Sri Lanka had earlier defeated Pakistan in a Super 4 game by five wickets.

Babar Azam scored 30 in that contest but had looked far from the serene player he usually is. This time though, a leaping catch from Madushanka ended his travails early.

About the author

James has been covering cricket news for Sportskeeda for 3+ years with over 1 crore readership. He has been following the game since 2002 and has not looked back since. A breaking news specialist, he has a previous 3-year work experience at Times of India, English Jagran, NDTV and others, covering all news categories, including sports.

James holds a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and a diploma in Sub-editing and Design which shaped his sports reporting career. During the course of his education, he learned about the 5W1H format, fact-checking, ethics, SEO, pyramid structure, etc, which enable him to produce compelling content for his readers. His exploits in reporting have led him to exclusively cover numerous ICC events and IPL.

James comes from Jharkhand and is highly inspired by legendary India captain MS Dhoni. He is a staunch supporter of the ICT and is loyal towards the CSK. When not immersed in his favorite sport, James likes watching Bollywood songs.

Know More

Asia Cup 2022 final: “Ye dukh kahe nahi khatam hota hai be” – Fans react as Pakistan captain Babar Azam departs for 5 runs in summit clash against Sri Lanka

Asia Cup 2022 final: Bhanuka Rajapaksa guides Sri Lanka to 170/6 against Babar Azam-led Pakistan