SAJEEWA JAYAKODY
COLOMBO – Afghanistan secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka with 28 balls to spare, shattering Sri Lanka’s hopes to progress to the playoff stages of the ICC World Cup in a historic match played in Pune on Monday.
Afghanistan achieved their historic third consecutive win in a World Cup, keeping their semi-final hopes alive. This victory placed Afghanistan in the fifth position, while Sri Lanka’s chances have significantly diminished, even if they win their remaining three matches miraculously.
The turning point in the match occurred when Afghanistan’s spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman captured the wickets of key Sri Lankan players, Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama. Rahman played a crucial role in halting Sri Lanka’s momentum as they were eyeing a 300-run target. Fazalhaq Farooqi, with a remarkable 4/34, was named the ICC Player of the Match for his contribution in Sri Lanka’s collapse.
Afghanistan’s controlled shot selections and high confidence level were evident in their successful run chase. They entered this match on the back of a victory against Pakistan, displaying excellent form.
Afghan innings began with Sri Lankan bowler Dilshan Madushanka taking the initial breakthrough by dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck. However, Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azamatullah Omarzai’s unbeaten 111-run partnership for the fourth wicket proved to be crucial, with both players achieving half-centuries.
Sri Lanka’s innings started with Dimuth Karunaratne unable to find his rhythm and getting out LBW to Fazalhaq Farooqi in the sixth over. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis then steadied the innings, adding 62 runs for the second wicket. Although Nissanka missed his sixth consecutive half-century by a narrow margin, contributing 46 runs.
Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama aimed to push Sri Lanka’s total, adding another 55 runs for the fourth wicket. However, a collapse in the middle order put Sri Lanka in a challenging position. The partnership between Mathews and Theekshana added 45 runs for the eighth wicket, boosting Sri Lanka’s total.
Cheif scores:
Sri Lanka: 241 in 49.3 overs (Pathum Nissanka 46, Kusal Mendis 39, Sadeera Samarawickrama 36, Maheesh Theekshana 29, Angelo Mathews 23, Charith Asalanka 22, Fazallaq Farooqi 4/34, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/38)
Afghanistan: 242/3 in 45.2 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 73 n.o, Rahmat Shah 62, Hashmatullah Shahidi 58 n.o, Ibrahim Zadran 39, Dilshan Madushanka 2/48, Kasun Rajitha 1/48).
