Sri Lanka's Asia Cup star Rajapaksa dedicates title to crisis-hit citizens
Sri Lanka's Asia Cup winning hero Bhanuka Rajapaksha, whose stellar show with the bat played a pivotal role in his side's sensational Asia Cup victory, has dedicated the title to his crisis-hit island nation.
Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 23 runs in the summit clash on Sunday night to clinch the Asia Cup crown after 2014, their sixth overall.
Batting first, Sri Lanka were reduced to 67 for 5, but made a brilliant turnaround riding on Rajapaksha (71 off 45 balls) and Wanindu Hasaranga (36 off 21 balls) to reach a competitive 170 for 6.
"We always wanted to show the world - a couple of decades back, we had aggression in our side, and we wanted to create those moments (again) as a unit," a beaming Rajapaksa said at the post match press conference.
"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 Lankans, but hope we brought some smiles on the faces of our people."
"This is to the whol