Sri Lanka`s Asia Cup 2022 winning hero Bhanuka Rajapaksa, whose stellar show with the bat played a pivotal role in his side`s sensational Asia Cup 2022 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 2022 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 whole nation; they were waiting for this for so long," a smiling Rajapaksa added. Sri Lanka clinched the much-needed Asia Cup 2022 title in the backdrop of the country`s worst economic crisis coupled with political unrest. Sitting beside Rajapaksha was Sri Lanka`s captain Dasun Shanaka and the 31-year-old praised his teammates for responding so well throughout the tournament despite losing to Afghanistan in their tournament opener. "After that first loss, we had a serious discussion." Shanaka said. "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," he added.

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