Bhanuka Rajapaksa dedicated the Asia Cup victory to his fellow countrymen in Sri Lanka. Asia Cup 2022 finals happened on 11th September at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. It was a tough battle between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Both were the two best performing teams of the tournament. Bhanuka Rajapaksa was the leading scorer of the match and made 71 runs. It was his score that led Sri Lanka to victory.
“We always wanted to show the world a couple of decades back, that we had aggression in outside, and we wanted to create those moments as a unit. Looking forward, we want to keep up this momentum ahead of the World Cup. With the crisis happening back home, this is a tough time for all the Sri Lankas, but hope we brought some smiles on the faces of our people. This is to the whole nation: they were waiting for this for so long,” Rajapaksa stated during the post-match press conference.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka was present at the conference, where he applauded his young teammates for performing well. They recalled their first loss in the Asia Cup 2022 against Afghanistan. “After that first loss, we had a serious discussion. We knew we had the talent, but it was about applying those in-game scenarios and all the players stood up. It’s the environment we created as a team and coaching staff that has paid off.” Shanaka said in the press conference.
The skipper also addressed their fans back home to believe and not lose faith in their players. “Believe in our cricketers. A lot of bad things are going around. As cricketers, they too should enjoy their lives as well, not spreading bad things. They have private lives too. Keep believing, that is the key. As a captain, I give confidence to the players, I can. I can’t ask more than that,”
He also said that the Asia Cup is just a stepping stone for other great achievements in Sri Lanka’s cricket. “Even two three years back, the team used to play good cricket, but the winning factor wasn’t there. This could be the turnaround in our cricket, this lot can continue to play for five-six years, which is a very good sign as well. The World Cup qualifiers will also help because it will allow us to play in that conditions before the main tournament happens. It will be really good.”