Asia Cup 2023: Why Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka even when both teams scored 252. Explained

Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka stunned the Pakistan cricket team by defeating them by 2 wickets which cleared the way for the elimination of Pakistan and defending champions Sri Lanka find themselves once again in the Asia Cup finals. The rain disrupted the match was a thriller with no clarity on where the game may go till the last ball. But, one confusion remained on everyone's mind about why Sri Lanka was declared as a winner even as they made the same runs as Pakistan.

The fans kept wondering why one run was reduced from Pakistan's total score of 252, which became the winning target for Sri Lanka.

Here's why Sri Lanka won even after scoring the same runs as Pakistan

The logic lies in the rain disruption. As the rains delayed the beginning of the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match, the game was reduced to 45 overs. Both teams started playing with the changed conditions but the rains again came pouring in during the first innings in which Pakistan was batting.

The rains pushed the game more which was now reduced to 42 overs and after the innings, Pakistan scored a total of 252 runs. But, one run from Pakistan's total run was deducted as Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) calculations came into play. As Pakistan lost 5 wickets before the second rain delay, as per the rules one run would have to be deducted from the total score. In case the 5th wicket did not fall, the score would be increased up to 255.

DLS calculations undergo real-time adjustments throughout the game, taking into account the reduction in overs or the fall of wickets. Consequently, the target score is subject to fluctuations influenced by these variables. The calculation relies on a predetermined set of tables containing data about benchmark scores, available resources, and target scores, all of which are meticulously precomputed to ensure equitable and precise adjustments to the targets.