Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan: In a crucial match of the Asia Cup 2023 in Lahore, Afghanistan almost secured a place in the Super 4 stage thanks to a remarkable innings from Mohammad Nabi.
Sri Lanka had set Afghanistan a target of 292 runs in 37.1 overs or less to qualify for the next stage.
At one point, Afghanistan looked to be on the way to victory and had scored 200 for the loss of four wickets in just 26 overs.
They needed 92 runs in 11.1 overs to secure their Super 4 spot and looked doable under Mohammad Nabi.
However, Afghanistan’s hopes were shattered as soon as Mohammad Nabi was dismissed. Rashid Khan and Najibullah Zadran fought valiantly to keep their team’s hopes alive and took the game to a thrilling finish.
Needing just three runs off one ball to secure qualification, Mujeeb ur Rehman was dismissed by Dhananjay de Silva.
Afghanistan still had little chance of qualifying if they could hit sixes in the next three balls.
Unfortunately, Sri Lankan off-spinner Dhananjay de Silva dismissed Fazalhaq Farooqi three balls later to hand Sri Lanka a two-run victory and deny Afghanistan a place in the Super 4 stage.
Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis played a key role in their innings, scoring 92 and a 64-run partnership between Dunith Velalej and Mahesh Thikshana further strengthened their position.
Kasun Rajitha’s early wickets for Sri Lanka kept them under control and despite a quick cameo from Gulbadin Naib, Afghanistan’s hopes rested on the partnership of Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi, who kept up the required run rate.
Also Read: ICC World Cup 2023: Australia has finalized the World Cup squad.
An explosive inning from Mohammad Nabi
An explosive inning from Mohammad Nabi, which included a record-breaking half-century off 24 balls, gave Afghanistan hope, but his dismissal swung the momentum back in Sri Lanka’s favour.
Nabi’s partnership with Shahid scored 80 runs off just 47 balls, but it was not enough to secure Afghanistan’s place in the Super 4 stage.
