Asia Cup 2022: Top five moments of the tournament


The Grand Finale of the Asia Cup 2022 saw hosts Sri Lanka edge past Pakistan by 23 runs to clinch the title for a record sixth time in their rich cricketing history. Although the Lankan lions were tagged the dark horses by experts across the globe, they showcased exemplary skills in all three departments to emerge as the best side in the showpiece event. 

Several memorable moments in the Asia Cup 2022 will be etched in our memories forever. So let's find out the best five moments that will strike our minds upon thinking about the tournament. 

Virat Kohli slams his 71st hundred

image-l7yllrrlVirat Kohli celebrating his 71st international century (PC: Twitter)

Virat Kohli, India's century machine, had to wait almost three years to register his 71st hundred. Hailed as the greatest batter of this generation, Kohli was finally successful in ending his century drought in India's final Super four fixture against Afghanistan. 

Opening the innings, the talismanic batter took all Afghanistan bowlers to the cleaners and hammered his way through to a blistering 61-ball 122*, with the help of twelve fours and six humongous sixes. The Delhi-born also recorded his first-ever T20I hundred in this process. 

Naseem Shah's twin sixes power Pakistan to the final

image-l7yjg49nNaseen Shah after hitting the winning six [PC: Twitter]

Tell me, honestly, do you expect your team to win if they are nine down, needing 11 runs in the final over with two proper bowlers at the crease? The answer is an obvious no. 

But Naseem Shah did the unthinkable job, hitting two consecutive sixes and snatching victory from Afghanistan's hands in the most dramatic fashion. 

Coming at number ten, Naseem dispatched Fazalhaq Farooqi's two full tosses out of the park to script a memorable win for Pakistan in the last over of this high-voltage encounter. 

Fazal Farooqi's opening spell dismantles the Lankan top-order

image-l7yje1wtFarooqi bowled a magnificent spell vs SL [PC: Twitter]

Promising Afghanistan seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi set the tone for a cracking tournament with his sensational new-ball spell against Sri Lanka in the opening encounter. 

On a fresh Dubai surface that had enough assistance for the fast bowlers, Farooqi exhibited his exceptional bowling qualities to dismiss the Lankan top-order in the blink of an eye. 

Overall, the left-arm pacer scalped three wickets for just eleven runs, paving the way for Afghanistan's easy victory. 

Asif Ali-Fareed Malik spat sparks controversy

image-l7yj4r2oAsif Ali and Fareed Malik [PC: Twitter]

The moment that set the tournament ablaze was the on-field tussle between Asif Ali and Fareed Ahmad Malik during Pakistan's crucial Super Four clash against Afghanistan. 

The game was full of twists and turns. Chasing a meagre 130, Pakistan were in a spot of bother, having lost eight wickets with 20 more runs to win. 

Asif Ali eased the nerves of the Pakistani fans by smashing a six off Fareed Ahmad Malik in the 19th over. However, the next ball saw the Afghan seamer bouncing back in style, scalping the vital wicket of Asif by a well-directed bouncer. 

Fareed celebrated his success aggressively, to which Asif responded by pushing him and using his bat to threaten him. This ugly on-field drama received massive backlash from many former cricketers, and both involved players were later penalized for it. 

Arshdeep's dropped catch proves costly for India

image-l7yj8f4cArshdeep dropping the crucial catch [PC: Twitter]

Indian bowlers fought really hard to swing the momentum into the Men in Blue's favour in their Super four encounter against Pakistan. However, talented Indian seamer Arshdeep Singh dropped a sitter of Asif Ali in the 18th over, which eventually proved fatal for his team. 

Capitalizing on the second chance, Asif smacked Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the next over, playing a significant hand in Pakistan's victory. 

Although Kumar was criticized for his poor death bowling, Arshdeep dropping the catch was a decisive moment in the game. 


Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: Team of the Tournament