DUBAI: Ahead of final of Asia Cup 2022 against Sri Lanka, Pakistan captain Babar Azam said it has been great for the side that throughout the tournament, many players stood up and won matches for the country.
Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
"When building a team, it is great for us that different players have stood up when it counts and helped the team win matches. As a captain, this is important for me, and it helps pave the path for future success for the team as well," said Azam to the media ahead of the match.
"Looking back at this tournament, we have had some great matches and some tough contests. We have seen some great performances and different players have shone and won Player of the match awards," he added.
Azam said that as a team, it is their goal to perform well and win the tournament.
"As a captain leading a side in a final, it is exciting. We are now just one step away from our goal of winning the trophy. Every captain and team, dreams of winning the trophy. As a team, our goal is to perform well and win the tournament," he said.
Pakistan has had a solid Asia Cup 2022 leading upto the final.
They started off the campaign with a five-wicket loss to arch-rivals India in the group stage. However, they bounced back strongly in the next match against Hong Kong, skittling out the side for just 38 runs to earn a 155-run win.
With this victory, they qualified for the Super Four phase.
Pakistan started their Super Four phase with a five-wicket win against India. Then they went on to secure a fighting one-wicket win against Afghanistan in a last-over thriller. They lost their final Super Four match against Sri Lanka by five wickets.
They finished the Super Four phase at the number two position in the points table with two wins in three matches.
Their star-wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is their leading run-scorer. He has scored 226 runs in five matches at an average of 56.50. Two half-centuries have come out of his bat, with the best score of 78*.
Spinner Mohammad Nawaz is the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan, having taken eight wickets at an average of 13.37 and an economy rate of 6.05.
