Sri Lanka and Afghanistan had an epic clash. Omarzai and Shahidi collaborated on an amazing 111-run partnership that propelled Afghanistan towards their target score.
Madushanka continues his attack, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz is dismissed on his first delivery; however, Ibrahim Zadran decides to hit the final ball of his over into the boundary for FOUR runs. For those following the Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team match scorecard, this was a critical moment in the game.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka may be considered underrated at this World Cup, but they possess ample experience playing on England pitches. Afghanistan on the other hand is an emerging cricketing nation boasting some of the finest spinners. Both teams are currently fighting it out to make it to quarter-finals of this competition.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Sri Lanka elected to bat first and quickly lost four wickets for just 15 runs before Pavan Ratnayake, Sahen Arachchige, and Nimish Vimukthi each scored in their respective middle order positions to help Sri Lanka reach 133 runs before losing several wickets during power play and falling short by just a few runs in pursuit of their target.
In an even start to their innings, Afghanistan began their innings on an even footing but soon began exerting pressure on Sri Lankan batsmen. Rashid Khan sent googlies back at Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka while Ibrahim Zadran kept up their attack by placing balls into gaps.
Afghanistan appeared poised to post a respectable total despite losing several wickets during the first powerplay, yet their batting collapsed once they lost more wickets. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the sole unbeaten batsman during this phase with 70 runs scored unbeaten. Kasun Rajitha then dismissed any remaining batsmen to bring home their team for victory; leaving Sri Lanka only trailing by three runs at the conclusion.
First Innings
Afghanistan quickly established themselves after winning the toss and opting to bat first, with Gurbaz smashing a brilliant hundred and being supported by Rahmat Shah’s fifty and Azmatullah Omarzai’s quick 86 – leading them all the way towards an impressive total of 311 in just under 50 overs.
Afghanistan looked to make an immediate comeback in their second innings and started strongly, with Najibullah Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz sharing an opening stand of 93 runs. Unfortunately for Afghanistan though, Sri Lankan spinners took control soon enough, forcing batsmen into submission against their deft bowling.
Though Afghanistan lost, this game marked another step forward in their remarkable rise on the world cricket stage. Led by former England player Jonathan Trott and led by coach Asif Nabi, Afghanistan have managed to upstage some of cricket’s established powers despite living through an unstable cultural and political climate.
India will open their second innings with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli taking to the crease, while Ravindra Jadeja will bowl their opening over for Ravindra Jadeja & Company.
Second Innings
After an impressive start, Sri Lanka found it difficult to keep pace with Afghanistan batsmen. Sediqullah Atal and Zubaid Akbari shared an opening partnership of 137 runs, setting them on course to defend their total. But during middle overs they faltered to fall back four wickets down for 206/4 in 20 overs – Ramandeep Singh and Nishant Sindhu provided India A with some resistance with 68-run stand that eventually was ended due to miscommunication leading them out during final over.
Mendis bowled the first over of the match. He opened with a dot to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, before dispatching his second delivery straight for boundary. A second ball then followed suit and went directly into the boundary for SIX runs!
Mendis introduces Kasun Rajitha into the attack. After commencing with a dot ball and offering Rahmat Shah a single, Rajitha then delivers one last ball from this over to hit Rahmat Shah for a four.
Sri Lanka sends Theekshana into the attack for Sri Lanka. He pitches an off-side ball across to Gurbaz but manages to avoid his attempt at slamming it back with an angling across throw. Short ball was delivered immediately following which it went tumbling down for four runs and Afghanistan passed the 200 mark within an over.
Third Innings
Afghanistan conceded an unlikely target of 160 in 20 overs after eight overs, leaving only Ibrahim Zadran standing firm at the crease and well supported by an impressive lower order partnership which propelled their team home for an historic win against an ICC top five side for the first time ever.
Mitch Marsh won the toss and chose to field, only to quickly regret his decision as Afghan bowlers made life difficult for his batsmen. Rashid Khan made quick work of Travis Head on just his third delivery; and later bowled captain Nathan Lyon for six to put his team into an advantageous position.
Afghan spinners continued their assault, striking quickly to dismiss opener Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah for just 23 runs each. Litton Das and Naveen-ul-Haq helped ease tension with an impressive 63-run partnership before Naveen succumbed to Pathirana’s slower delivery and the innings collapsed further.
Glenn Maxwell offered Australia hope with two nerve-settling boundaries, but was soon removed by Rashid Khan. Zampa then made matters worse with an unfortunate slog to short fine leg before Phehlukwayo bowled him trying to hit long down the ground – effectively sealing their fates.
Afghanistan have recorded the biggest victory ever in their short history and will see this as a huge boost in their hopes of reaching the semi-final. Their victory gives them further impetus to push into international cricket, potentially competing with world-class sides for a spot in the final four.
Final Innings
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan engaged in a nail-biting match, with both teams scoring big to amass a massive total on the board. But Afghan bowlers managed to restrict Sri Lanka to an achievable score thanks to Bilal Sami and Fazalhaq Farooqi’s bowling efforts; their wicket taking abilities helped take down Angelo Mathews and Maheesh Theekshana to restrict Lanka to 241 runs total.
Sri Lanka struggled to score boundaries against Afghanistan’s tight bowling during the initial powerplay, until Pathum Nissanka broke free to make 46 runs before succumbing to bowler Naveen-Ul-Haq and turning momentum back towards Afghanistan. His wicket shifted the balance of the game.
Madushanka Chameera then entered the attack and delivered a stunning over, using both his wrists and timing the ball perfectly to send multiple boundaries across. Afghanistan now reached 200 runs for the first time ever in this match!
Kasun Rajitha returned to bowling and dispatched Rahmat Shah on his fifth delivery, before handing the batover to Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Afghanistan batters played an impressively controlled innings and reached their target with ease despite suffering early wickets. Sediqullah Atal was at the crease throughout, his steady batsmanship helping them not lose their way. Mohammad Ishfaq played a pivotal role in helping Afghanistan secure victory by reaching it one over before target completion. With this win comes Afghanistan national cricket team’s inaugural Emerging Asia Cup title win!
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