PAK vs SL: How Pakistan Can Qualify For Asia Cup Final? All Scenarios Revealed

Pakistan and Sri Lanka still have their fate in their hands as far as qualifying for the final of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 is concerned. Only one final slot is up for grabs as Team India, on Tuesday (September 12), became the first team to book their spot in the final.

The Men in Blue qualified for the final of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 with a fighting win over Sri Lanka in the Super 4s. India were up against a spirited Sri Lankan side that had not lost in 13 matches. Although India was the favorite, Sri Lanka showed why they were unbeaten.

The co-hosts nearly pulled off a famous win over India at the R. Premadasa Stadium but eventually went down by 41 runs. Sri Lanka bowled out India for a modest total of 213 runs. In reply, they were all out for 172 in the 42nd over despite some gusty performances with the bat from the likes of Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage.

How Pakistan can qualify for the final:

With Sri Lanka suffering a loss against Team India, the hopes of a first-ever India vs Pak final in the Asia Cup are still alive. Pak have their fate in their own hands after Sri Lanka’s loss and could set up a mouth-watering clash against their arch-rivals.

Talking about standings in Super 4s, India are on top with two wins from as many games. Sri Lanka and Pakistan are second and third respectively after winning one of the two games. Sri Lanka are ahead of Pak because of the net run rate. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have been knocked out of the tournament after suffering two losses.

Two matches are still remaining in the Super 4s of Asia Cup 2023. While India will take on Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pak will be up against each other in what would be another virtual semifinal. The game between India and Bangladesh won’t have any impact on the final standings but the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan clash will decide the second finalist.

So how can Pakistan qualify for the Asia Cup 2023 final?

Well, the equation is pretty simple. A win will be enough for the Men in Green to enter the final. Similarly, Sri Lanka can also make it to the final if they manage to beat Pakistan. The winner of the game will meet India in the final. However, rain can spoil Pak’s plans.

The weather forecast for Colombo is not promising and there is a possibility of the game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan getting washed out. In such a case, Sri Lanka will advance to the final due to their superior net run rate (-0.200) compared to Pak (-1.892). So for Pak to qualify and set up an India vs Pakistan final, they will have to hope that rain stays away and they beat Sri Lanka.