Indian pacer Muhammed Siraj not only won the final of the Asia Cup 2023 with his outstanding spell but also the hearts of the people by giving away his man-of-the-match prize money to the ground staff at the R.Premadasa Cricket Stadium, Colombo.
The 29-year-old pacer was named the Player of the Match for his match-winning spell of 6-21 in seven overs and was awarded a prize money of $5000 which he donated to the Sri Lankan ground staff for their constant hard work during the Asian event.
Talking in a post-match ceremony, Siraj announced that he would dedicate his prize money to the Lankan ground staff and also shed light on his world-class spell saying that he did his best to hit the right areas.
"I want to give this cash prize to the groundsmen. They deserve it. If they were not around, this tournament would not have been successful," he said.
"I have been bowling well for a while. The batters were getting beaten for the last two matches, but I found the edges. I just tried to hit the areas. The wicket was seaming for the last two matches, today there was swing so I tried to make the batters play as much as possible," Siraj added.
Fans on social media appreciated Siraj's heartwarming gesture.
Earlier today, the Asian Cricket Council's (ACC) president Jay Shah also announced a massive $50,000 award to the ground staff of Pallekelle and Colombo stadiums.
The ground staff at the R.Premadasa Stadium worked day and night to ensure that all the matches went as planned amid torrential rain spells.
Today, India won their eighth Asia Cup after thrashing Sri Lanka in the event's final.
The home side was all-out for just 50 runs courtesy of an impeccable display of the Indian bowlers. Chasing the paltry target, the Blues reached home in 6.1 overs without losing any wickets.
Sri Lanka scored the lowest total in Asia Cup (ODI) history since the record was previously held by Bangladesh, who scored 87 runs against Pakistan in 2000.
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