The second semi-final of the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 was played between Pakistan Shaheen and Sri Lanka A. Like the first semi-final, this match was also highly exciting, and in the end, Pakistan emerged victorious. However, a misdirected umpire’s decision played a significant role in the Pakistani Shaheen’s victory, costing Sri Lanka a victory. This incident, which occurred in the final over, changed the course of the match.
Did umpire’s decision help Pakistan to win over Sri Lanka?
In this exciting match played between the two teams, Sri Lanka, batting first, scored 153 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs. Gazi Gor top-scored with 39 runs, while Maaz Sadakat contributed 23 runs. Saad Masood and Ahmed Daniyal scored 22 runs each, while the rest of the batsmen flopped. On the other hand, Pramod Madhusudhan bowled brilliantly for the Sri Lanka A team, taking four wickets for 29 runs in four overs. Tarveen Mathew also managed to take three wickets.
Summary of the match
Chasing a target of 154, the Sri Lankan team made a strong start. They reached the 40-run mark in just three overs. Lasith Krosspulle scored 27 runs off seven balls, hitting two fours and three sixes. Vishen Halambage also contributed 29 runs off just 27 balls. However, after the departure of these two openers, Sri Lanka’s innings faltered. Half of the Sri Lankan team was out for just 78 runs.
The controversy
But Milan Rathnayake led the team back with a brilliant innings. He scored 40 runs off 32 balls, bringing the team close to victory. However, he was dismissed in the final over due to an umpire’s decision. Sri Lanka needed 8 runs off the last four balls to win.
The umpire then gave Milan Rathnayake out LBW, but the ball was going outside the leg stump. This decision proved costly for Sri Lanka, as they managed only 2 runs off the last three balls, losing the match by 5 runs. The final will now be played between Pakistan and Bangladesh on November 23rd.