Mohammed Siraj gives Asia Cup final Player of the Match prize money to Sri Lanka groundsmen

India pacer Mohammed Siraj bowled a fiery spell in the Asia Cup final on September 17 to leave Sri Lanka done and dusted by the fourth over of the innings. The pacer, who won the Player of the Match award for his 6/21, in a heartwarming gesture, gave away the prize money to the groundsmen. The Sri Lanka leg of the regional tournament saw persistent rain, including in the final, and Siraj thanked the ground staff for making the matches happen.

"This cash prize [US $5000] goes to the groundsmen. They deserve it fully. This tournament wouldn't have been possible without them," said Siraj at the post-match ceremony while receiving the POTM award. Apart from him, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) also announced a cash prize of $50,000 for the Lankan groundsmen.

Notably, despite the rain throughout the tournament, only the group-stage tie between India and Pakistan produced no result among all other games. The groundsmen were very proactive while trying to contain the effect of rain whenever it poured down.

As for the final, Siraj's scorching spell, which saw him claim four wickets in an over and a five-for in just 16 balls, was too good for Lankan batsmen as they folded out for a mere 50 runs. Apart from Siraj, all-rounder Hardik Panyda took three wickets while Bumrah took one as the pacers accounted for all 10 wickets.

Chasing the paltry total, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan reached the target in 6.1 overs without losing a wicket as India clinched their eighth regional tournament title.

Speaking on the performance, India skipper Rohit Sharma said: “I was standing in the slips, and something we take pride in - our seamers have been working really hard. Very very clear in their mind. It was good to see that. Such a performance we will cherish for a long time."

India now play a three-match ODI series against Australia from September 22 ahead of the ODI World Cup which starts next month on October 5.

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