By IANS,
Karachi : Sri Lanka won their fourth Asia Cup when they beat India by 100 runs at the National Stadium here Sunday, equalling the Indian record.
The title win was also Sri Lanka’s first ever Asia Cup final away from home. Sri Lanka have won the Asia Cup final in 1985-86, 1997, 2004 and 2008, equalling India’s record of winning the title four times – 1983-84; 1988-89; 1990-91 and 1994-95.
Other highlights:
# Sri Lanka’s 273 is the second highest by any team in an Asia Cup final, next only to Pakistan’s 277 for four against Sri Lanka at Dhaka on June 7, 2000.
# Sanath Jayasuriya has extended his record for most hundreds (6) in the Asia Cup – his 27th in ODIs.
# Only Sachin Tendulkar (42) has recorded more hundreds than Jayasuriya in ODIs.
# Jayasuriya became the first batsman to register six hundreds against India in ODIs. Three batsmen – New Zealand’s Nathan Astle, Australia’s Ricky Ponting and Pakistan’s Salman Butt – have hit five hundreds each against India.
# Jayasuriya, with his 125 off 114 balls, has taken his run-aggregate against India to 2429 (ave.37.36) in 74 games, including six centuries and 12 fifties – the most by any batsman against India, bettering Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq’s aggregate of 2,403 at an average of 43.69 in 67 matches, including four centuries and 12 fifties.
# Jayasuriya completed his 300 runs in the 2008 Asia Cup – his best ever performance in an Asia Cup competition, bettering his aggregate of 293 at an average of 73.25 in five games in 2004.
# Jayasuriya’s aggregate of 378 runs at an average of 75.60 in five games is a record for a single edition in the Asia Cup. Suresh Raina’s tally of 372 (ave.74.40), including two centuries and two fifties is the next best.
# Jayasuriya’s innings of 125 is now the highest by any batsman in an Asia Cup final, surpassing Marvan Atapattu’s 100 for Sri Lanka against Pakistan at Dhaka on June 7, 2000.
# Jayasuriya became the third batsman after Raina and Kumar Sangakkara to amass 300 runs or more in the 2008 Asia Cup. Sehwag is the fourth to accomplish the feat.
# Jayasuriya’s tally of 23 sixes is the highest by any batsman in Asia Cup games.
# Jayasuriya’s feat of 26 runs (6 6 4 4 0 6) off R.P. Singh is a record for most runs by any batsman in an over in the 2008 Asia Cup, surpassing Raina’s 25 runs off Shakawat Ali (Hong Kong) at Karachi.
# Jayasuriya (6 6 4 4 6) and Marvan Atapattu (1) had hit 27 runs off Akram Khan (Bangladesh) in the 1997-98 Asia Cup game at Colombo – a record for most runs off one over in the Asia Cup.
# Ishant Sharma (3/52) produced his best bowling performance in Pakistan, eclipsing his 2 for 55 against Sri Lanka at Karachi on July 3, 2008.
# Ishant’s best two performances in ODIs have been in the Commonwealth Bank series in Australia in 2008 – 4 for 38 against Australia at Melbourne on Feb 10 and 4 for 41 against Sri Lanka at Hobart on Feb 26.
# Jayasuriya and Dilshan put on 131 runs – a Sri Lankan record for the fifth wicket in the Asia Cup, bettering the unbroken 106 between Arjuna Ranatunga and S.K.L. de Silva against India at Colombo, RPS on July 18, 1997.
# Jayasuriya and Dilshan have narrowly missed recording the best ever partnership for the fifth wicket in the Asia Cup. Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh had put on 133 against Sri Lanka at Dambulla on July 18, 2004.
# Dilshan (56 off 74 balls) posted his first fifty in the Asia Cup, eclipsing his 39 off 46 balls against India at Colombo on July 27, 2004.
# Dilshan’s sixth fifty against India is his 14th in ODIs.
# Chaminda Vaas completed his 2,000 runs in ODIs and became the fourth all-rounder to complete the double of 2,000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs, joining Pakistan’s Wasim Akram, Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and South Africa’s Shaun Pollock.
# Irfan Pathan has claimed three wickets at 71.00 runs apiece in three games of the Asia Cup 2008 – economy rate 7.20 runs per over.
# Mahendra Singh Dhoni (8 catches + 3 stumpings), with 11 dismissals is the leading wicketkeeper in the 2008 Asia Cup, equalling Sangakkara’s tally of 11 (9 catches + 2 stumpings) in the 2004 Asia Cup.
# Sehwag registered his career-best performance in a competition – 348 at an average of 69.60 in five games, including one century, two fifties and two 40-plus.
# For the first time in his career, he has amassed 300 runs in a competition.
# Sehwag, in his last eight innings, has registered seven scores of 40-plus – one century, four fifties and two 40-plus.
# In 2008, Sehwag has made 579 runs at an average of 44.53 in 13 games. His batting average of 44.53 this year is his career-best. In calendar year 2002, his batting average was 41.85 – with 1,130 runs in 30 matches.
# Sehwag’s 26-ball fifty (60 off 36 balls) is the fastest by any batsman in the history of the Asia Cup.
# In 14 Grand Finals, Sehwag’s 60 off 36 balls is his third fifty.
# Sehwag’s 29th fifty in ODIs is his third against Sri Lanka.
# Yuvraj Singh’s first duck against Sri Lanka is his 10th in ODIs.
# In 13 Grand Finals, Yuvraj has registered two fifties and two ducks. In 13 Grand Finals, only six times, he has reached double figures.
# Ajantha Mendis, with 17 wickets at 8.52 runs apiece in five matches, has established a record for most wickets in an Asia Cup competition, eclipsing Irfan Pathan’s tally of 14 (ave.16.28) in six matches in 2004.
# Mendis’ figures of six for 13 are the best by any bowler in a Asia Cup Final, eclipsing Kapil Dev’s 4 for 31 at Kolkata on Jan 4, 1991.
# Mendis is now the first ever bowler to claim six wickets in an innings in the history of the Asia Cup.
# Mendis, with this performance, became the fourth bowler to capture six wickets or more in a Grand Final. The four bowlers are:
# Dhoni’s aggregate of 327 at an average of 109.00 is the best by any captain in an Asia Cup competition.
# Dhoni is the fifth batsman to amass 300 runs in the 2008 Asia Cup.
# Mendis got his first Man of the Series award and his second Man of the Match award.