Mahesh Theekshana expresses his disappointment after being refused a review in the Asia Cup match against Pakistan. On Thursday, September 14, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will play a virtual semi-final match in Colombo as part of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.
The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is now hosting a high-voltage match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka that is effectively a semi-final. The victor of this match will face India in the Asia Cup 2023 final on Sunday.
Pakistan, who won the toss and chose to bat first. Recovered steadily from 130/5 owing to a counterattacking combination between Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed. The Sri Lankan team, however, blew a wonderful opportunity to dismiss the latter.
Also Visit: Shreyas Iyer is skeptical, believing that India will make improvements against Bangladesh.
In the 35th over, Maheesh Theekshana caught Iftikhar Ahmed in front of the stumps
He filed a massive appeal, but the umpire was unconvinced. Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Mendis discussed it and decided not to take the review. Replays afterwards revealed that the ball would have struck the leg stump. Theekshana, who was receiving medical treatment on the boundary line. Slap the ground repeatedly in frustration as he watched the video on the big screen.
Pakistan recover in style to post a challenging first-innings total
Sri Lanka took the lead in the 28th over, as Pakistan fell to 130/5. However, a weather delay radically altered the course of events. The contest was cut to 42 over each side after the rain break. The pitch seemed to go faster after the restart, as Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed put on a magnificent 108-run combination in just 77 balls.
The ‘Men in Green’ finally finished their 42 overs with a score of 252/7, with Rizwan remaining unbeaten on 86 off 73 balls. Sri Lanka will chase a revised DLS target of 252 runs. Pakistan will be missing two of its top pacers, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, so it would be intriguing to see how youngsters like Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Zaman Khan perform under pressure.
Also Read: The ILT20 development tournament will identify UAE’s rising stars
