Dasun Shanaka helps Sri Lanka find their sheen

Sri Lanka has been in economic turmoil and has had to shift the Asia Cup to the UAE despite being the host nation.
The team started the tournament off in the worst way possible by losing badly against Afghanistan. 

It looked like they would be the team that exited the tournament early.

Against Bangladesh in their do-or-die Group Stage match, they were staring down the barrel with 25 needed off 12 balls, but they managed to do that and survive.

With qualification for the Super Fours done at the expense of Bangladesh, not many gave them a chance to go any further.
But it was sweet redemption against Afghanistan, as they managed to chase down a target of 176 with four wickets and five balls to spare.

It was the same team they scored just 105 runs against, a few days ago.

Then came the game against India, a game where they were not expected to win, despite the last two wins. 

But they did that, as they chased down a target of 174 with six wickets and a ball to spare, and are now looking at playing the final.

Throughout all of this, one man has been at the thick of things, their captain Dasun Shanaka. 

Against Bangladesh, he scored 45 runs from 33 balls and helped carry Sri Lanka's run chase till the very end.

There was a watershed moment in that match, where Shanaka hit two sixes in a row off the bowling of Ebadot Hossain in the second and third balls of the 13th over. 
Ebadot had taken three top-order wickets in his first two overs, and Sri Lanka needed 89 off 48 balls with six wickets in hand.

This over, once he hit Ebadot for the second six, he looked at his batting partner, Kusal Mendis and nodded in a way to give reassurance that the situation was under control.

And from there, there has been no looking back. 

Against India, he was the star of the show, contributing with both bat and ball.
He took the wickets of two of India's most in-form and dangerous batters - Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya - in the two overs he bowled. 

If either batter got going, Sri Lanka could have been looking at a total in excess of 190 by India, but instead were chasing a much more manageable 174.

And then when he came on to bat, his side needed 64 runs from 35 balls with six wickets in hand.  

Shanaka ensured that there would be no hiccups in the chase from there as he scored 33 not-out from just 18 balls, including the winning runs in the last over.
The captain has also been Sri Lanka's best batter in T20Is in 2022 but he has found support from all corners during these three wins.

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis have formed a nice opening partnership throughout the tournament and are two young players with attractive strokeplay and good technique - not just the typical power-hitting.

Speaking of power-hitters, Sri Lanka have one in Bhanuka Rajapaksa and he helped prove his worth in the last match. 
The bowling attack is also taking shape, with Dilshan Madhushanka looking a very impressive left-arm quick.

The world already knows about the qualities of leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana is also another spinner getting better by the day.

Bangladesh's team director Khaled Mahmud Sujon may not find world-class players in the side, but they have players that can certainly make Sri Lanka into a world-class unit again, especially under the captaincy of Shanaka.