In the sixth match of the third and first stage of the Asia Cup Group B, Sri Lanka qualified for the Super Four stage by defeating Afghanistan by 2 runs after a thrilling match.
Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 291 runs in the allotted 50 overs, but Afghanistan not only failed to achieve the required target in 37.1 overs to qualify for the Super Four, they not only failed to achieve this target but also fell just 3 runs short of victory. All out. In this match played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat first.
Sri Lanka got off to a good start with openers Dimath Karunaratne and Patham Nissanka putting on a 63-run partnership. However, the two returned to the pavilion after scoring 32 and 41 runs respectively until the total of 80, they were dismissed by Gulbuddin Naib.
Sri Lanka also lost their third wicket on 86 when Sudira Samara Wickrama was dismissed by Gulbuddin Naib after scoring just 3 runs.
In such a situation, the 102-run partnership between Kaushal Mendis and Charith Asalanka pushed Afghanistan back on the backfoot. Aslanka scored 36 runs and got out off the ball of Rashid Khan. De Silva was bowled by Mujeebur Rahman for a total of 221.
At the score of 226, Sri Lanka first suffered a loss in the form of Kaushal Mendes who scored 92 runs and then in the form of captain Dasan Shanaka after one run. However, Dinoth Velalaga and Mahesh Thakshana put on a 64-run partnership for the eighth wicket to end Afghanistan's desire to restrict Sri Lanka to a small total.
Sri Lanka scored 291 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted 50 overs. On behalf of Afghanistan, Gulbuddin Naib was prominent with 4 wickets for 60 runs while Rashid Khan got 2 and Mujeebur Rahman got 1 out.
Afghanistan started batting with a target of 37.1 overs but the opening batsmen continued to score runs with a defensive strategy while wickets kept falling from one end as well.
After losing three important wickets on a total of 50, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi first made a partnership of 71 off 63 balls with Rehmat Shah and then 80 runs off 43 balls with Mohammad Nabi to give his team hope of victory.
Rahmat Shah scored 45 off 40 balls while Mohammad Nabi played a smoky innings of 62 runs off 32 balls. In the final moments, Karim Jannat scored 22 runs, Najeebullah Zadran scored 23 runs and Rashid Khan scored 27 runs, but these innings could not prove to be a success for the team.
Afghanistan needed 3 runs off the first ball of the 38th over to reach the target when Mujeebur Rahman was caught out trying to play a high shot. Not only that, but Afghanistan had another chance to qualify for the Super Four when they had to hit a six instead of scoring a run in the last 37.4 overs when Sri Lankan bowler Dhananjaya de Silva used his experience. The last Afghani batsman Fazlul Haq Farooqui was dismissed.
Sri Lanka won the match by just 2 runs, but with this win they also qualified for the Super Four stage of Asia Cup 2023. It should be noted that Bangladesh qualified for the Super Four from Group B along with Sri Lanka.
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