Siraj's day of course
It was a lovely display of seam bowling from Mohammed Siraj. Just accurate outswinger and accurate outswinger at high pace. A couple of them even seamed in after pitching to get Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis. These were not wobble-seam balls. Siraj said this was the most and most-consistent swing he has drawn so he just kept bowling outswing.
And then things happened. There are many days you can bowl better for no wickets. Today, everything he tried worked for him. There is no need to panic or dissect the techniques of Sri Lanka batters either. They just faced the perfect storm, and it just happened to be in a final.
A final thought to leave you with: full marks to the grounds staff all across Sri Lanka to make this tournament possible, and not just make it possible but also offer such good pitches of great variety that offered something to seamers, spinners and batters equally.
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Over in 129 legal deliveries
India have finished the chase in 6.1 overs. That makes it the third-shortest full-length ODI ever. It lasted all of 129 legal deliveries. India have won by 10 wickets. Sensational seam-bowling performance, and freakishly most good balls took an edge and every edge went to hand. Sri Lanka bowled out for 50 in 15.2 overs. India home in 6.1 overs. Fireworks, hand shakes aqll around.
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India ripping through the chase
Ishan Kishan has been promoted to open, and friends Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan are racing through the chase. India are 34 for 0 in four overs.
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How do you make sense of it?
It is pretty easy really. I can understand desperate fans getting angry. I can understand new observers getting angry. But experienced experts coming off the long run?
These things happen in cricket. On another day, a couple of edges would have fallen short or wide, another couple would have moved too much and missed the edge, and Sri Lanka would have got through the period with three or four wickets down. Then there were two other deliveries that seamed back in despite not being wobble-seam balls. They were seam-up outswingers, and then they nipped in without warning.
It is just one of those days where 150 can easily become 50 all out.
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Outswingers. Siraj loves them
Mohammeed Siraj. Quotes hot off the plate
It is like a dream. Last time against Sri Lanka I took four early wickets but couldn't get five. I realised you get whatever is in your fate. Today I was destined to get this. I didn't get much swing in the earlier matches but today that I got swing, I wanted to make the batters play. It is extremely satisfying that I got wickets with outswingers because generally I get wickets off the wobble-seam delivery.
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Sri Lanka 50 all out
Lord Stuart Binny retains the best figures for India as Hardik Pandya leaves Mohammed Siraj stranded at 6 for 21. Nos 10 and 11 fall in successive deliveries for the innings to end in 92 legal deliveries.
this is then lowest total in ODIs against India. Also Sri Lanka's second-lowest. Also the second-shortest innings for a full member nation. The third-lowest total for a side choosing to bat first.
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Sri Lanka past their lowest score
Two runs, an ambitious Virat Kohli giving away four overthrows, and with that Sri Lanka have gone past their own lowest score in ODIs: 43.
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Pandya joins the party
Some others have to work harder for wickets today than Siraj so Hardik Pandya bowls an accurate bouncer to get Dunith Wellalage. He drew a mis-hit last over too but now he has the catch for KL Rahul. At 41 for 8, Sri Lanka still two short of their own lowest total in ODIs.
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Sri Lanka go past 35
It is a nightmare of as match for them but Sri Lanka have gone past the lowest total in ODIs. Their next target is 43, which is Sri Lanka's lowest total in ODIs.
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Six for Siraj
There will be people reacting angrily tom Kusal Mendis' big drive but he has not done much wrong here. Somebody has to break the shackles, and he has seen a full outswinger and has had a big straight drive at it. However, the ball pitches and seams back in to bowl him out. Siraj now has six wickets in 5.2 overs, and Sri Lanka are still two shy of the lowest ODI total. They are 33 for 7.
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Fastest to five
16 Number of balls taken by Mohammed Siraj to get to five wickets, the joint-quickest with Chaminda Vaas and USA's ALI Khan, since 2002, which is when we started keeping definitive ball-by-ball records
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Five for Miyan
Mohammed Siraj can do nothing wrong. He is running in and bowling an accurate outswinger after accurate outswinger. Not even trying a wobble-seam ball. Dasun Shanaka is caught on the crease, giving this full ball time to swing past his outside edge and hit the off stump. This is mayhem.
In a match sides are expecting spin to play a major role and have played extra spinners, Siraj has swung past Sri Lanka with five wickets for four runs in 3.4 overs. Sri Lanka 12 for 6 in 5.4 overs.
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Four-wicket overs
In men's ODIs since 2002, there have been only four. Here is a list.
Chaminda Vaas vs BAN, 2003
Mohammad Sami vs NZ, 2003
Adil Rashid vs WI, 2019
Mohammad Siraj vs SL, 2023
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De Silva survives only one
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Unbelievable over. Four wickets. Another outswinger last ball, and de Silva wafts at it away from the body. A regulation edge, and they are 12 for 5 in four overs.
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De Silva survives the hat-trick
Dhananjaya de Silva faces the hat6-trick ball with four slips and a leg gully in place. Siraj is on target, but he defends it for a four because there is no fielder down the ground.
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The over from hell
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Charith Asalanka has chipped the first ball he has faced to cover point. Sri Lanka are rocked. They are 8 for 4, and Siraj is on a hat-trick.
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Siraj on fire
What do you do as a batter? You have seen from the change room that Moahmmed Siraj is bowling beautiful outwswing. That wobble-seam delivery is in the back of your mind but you have seen an upright seam angling towards slip so you are expecting another outswinger. You have it covered, but the outswinger pitches and seams the other way. Dead in front. The batter, Sadeera Samarawickrama stands no chance. Not many doo. Sri Lanka 8n for 3 in 3.3 overs.
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Openers back
Seven straight outswingers from Mohammed Siraj, and the seventh one has brought him the wicket.Not quite in the slips, but it is a loose drive that Pathum Nissanka can't control. And Ravindra Jadeja puts in a dive to his right at backward point to send him back. Sri Lanka 8 for 2 in 3.1 overs.
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Maiden from Siraj
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The second over. Bowled by Mohammed Siraj. Six lovely outswingers. Two left alone. Beaten four times. It is an examination out there.
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The magic in Bumrah's wrist
Jasprit Bumrah has given India the dream start with the wicket of Kusal Perera in the first over. The first ball, bowled to Pathum Nissanka, moved away from the right-hand batter. The seam pointed towards the first slip, and the wrist right behind it.
The seam on the second ball also pointed towards slip, but this time for the left-hand batter Perera. And it swung away just as beautifully. Same ball next ball, and. Perera couldn't help himself and had a drive at it. Edged and taken. Sri Lanka 1 for 1 in 0.3 overs.
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Resumption at 3.40pm
The ground is in better shape than expected, and we have a start scheduled at 3.40pm. Hooray
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It has stopped raining
Covers are coming off. We will have an inspection at 3.30pm. If all goes right, we could be starting at 3.45pm. No overs lost.
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Delayed start
A heavy drizzle has set in, and, guess what, the covers are on. We will have a delayed start.
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Sri Lanka bat first, Hemantha replaces Theekshana
Sri Lanka have won the important toss on a dry surface especially given how it gets two-paced under the lights. They have no hesitation batting first. They have brought in legspinner Dushan Hemantha for the injured Maheesh Theekshana.
A good sign of what to expect from the pitch is that India have replaced the injured Axar Patel with Washington Sundar, who has been flown in overnight, and the extra fast bowler in Shardul Thakur. Other than that, all the first-choice players come in. Shreyas Iyer continues to be out.
Sri Lanka P Nissanka, MDKJ Perera, BKG Mendis†, S Samarawickrama, KIC Asalanka, DM de Silva, MD Shanaka*, DN Wellalage, MADI Hemantha, Pramod Madushan, M Pathirana
India RG Sharma*, Shubman Gill, V Kohli, KL Rahul†, Ishan Kishan, HH Pandya, RA Jadeja, Washington Sundar, JJ Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
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Who?
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The final is here
It's here. The final of the Asia Cup is upon us. It hasn't been the perfect tournament but it has produced some great cricket thanks to the variety of the pitches that the groundsmen have offered us. There has been something for everybody, and now it is down to the best two: India and Sri Lanka.
Clinical vs chaos, in the words of Fidel Fernando. Defending champions of this format against the defending champions of the T20 format.
Both sides are dealing with injuries. Sri Lanka have been without their best attack, and now you can add the absence of Maheesh Theekshana to it. India are slowly getting to the full potential, but it seems like Axar Patel might join Shreyas Iyer on the sidelines.
In the USA, you can watch the Asia Cup final LIVE on ESPN+.
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