The Indian cricket team performed a 5-star performance against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 final, taking home their eighth Asia Cup trophy. For the Indian cricket squad, Mohammed Siraj was unstoppable. He took 6 wickets in the game, including 4 in one over as Sri Lanka was bowled out for just 50 runs in a 50-over encounter.
India then put up a strong performance to seal the victory, needing just 6.1 overs to score 51 runs without losing a single wicket. After this exhilarating victory, the post-game awards presentation got started.
Mohammed Siraj, who had an outstanding performance and took 6 wickets, was awarded $5,000 and showed incredible generosity by giving it to the hardworking groundskeepers who care for the Colombo Premadasa Stadium surface. Rain had a significant impact on the Asia Cup 2023, as groundskeepers were busy the entire time.
In his speech at the ceremony, Siraj praised the pitch attendants’ tireless work and acknowledged their crucial contribution to the Asia Cup series’ successful conclusion. Moreover, a sizeable donation of $50,000 was given to these devoted pitch maintainers on behalf of the Asian Cricket Council. Mohammed Siraj and the Asian Cricket Council received accolades for this selfless act on social media.
Arjuna Ranatunga, a former captain of the Sri Lankan squad, sparked debate by calling for a probe into the 16th Asia Cup cricket tournament’s championship game. He questioned the amount of funding given to pitch maintainers, noting that in the past, games in Sri Lanka had been played even in inclement weather without enough support for those in charge of the pitches. The comments made by Ranatunga have sparked discussion in the cricket community.
“We’ve witnessed matches disrupted by rain during several Indian tours to Sri Lanka, while other games went off without a hitch owing to the ground staff. I’ve never observed them getting paid for their work, though. The media has to look into it; the groundsmen have been working for years, but Sri Lanka Cricket has never paid them,” Ranatunga was cited as saying by Cricket One.
Cricket fans have been speculating since Arjuna Ranatunga’s recent interview, with some reading his remarks as an oblique admission that the Indian side may have been given preferential treatment by pitch curators. However, it’s imperative to draw attention to a crucial fact: in this specific game, the Sri Lankan team won the toss and strategically chose to bat first.
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