If he had that option, Mohammed Siraj would wrap September 17, 2023, in cotton wool and carry it with him for the rest of his life. The 29-year-old, who had had a quiet Asia Cup, burst into life when it mattered the most, annihilating Sri Lanka in the final at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

Second-lowest total for SL

This was supposed to be a 50-overs-a-side contest, but it devolved into a 50-run encounter for that was the anaemic total the hosts managed after Dasun Shanaka chose to bat. Siraj was primarily responsible for Sri Lanka capitulating to their second-lowest ODI total with a magical burst of six for 21, the figures doing complete justice to the fury with which the ball left his right hand.