Asia Cup: Sri Lanka virtually make it to the finals

New Delhi: After beating two strong teams – Pakistan and India – in their first two matches of Asia Cup, Sri Lanka have proved that they are a strong contender to lift the trophy this time around.

After beating the defending champions Pakistan in the opener of Asia Cup, Sri Lanka beat India in cliffhanger on Friday to register their second consecutive win in five-nation tournament. Sri Lanka won the match by two wickets against India two sit comfortably at the top of the point table with eight points.

Now Sri Lanka have to play against Bangladesh and Afghanistan in their next two encounters, which means they have virtually booked a berth in the finals of the two-week long event.

Sri Lanka have won the Asia Cup four times in the past, one less than India which is the most successful team in the tournament`s history.

The biggest plus for Sri Lanka is that their one of the most experienced players, Kumar Sangakkara has been in top form, which is paying rich dividends to the team. Sangakkara, scored a fifty in the first match of the Cup and then played a match-wining hundred against India to make sure that his team won the second match of the tournament.

Apart from the southpaw, their openers Kusal Perera and Lahiru Thirimanne are also proving their mettle at the top. When it comes to Lankan bowlers, they too are performing decently. If it was spearhead Lasith Malinga`s five-for in the first match which made Sri Lanka victorious against Pakistan, then in the next game it was the spin magic of Ajantha Mendis which stopped the Indian batsmen to set up a big total.