Sri Lanka Triumphs Over Afghanistan in Asia Cup Showdown
Sri Lanka's Impressive Victory
In a thrilling conclusion to the group stage of the Asia Cup held in Abu Dhabi on September 19, Sri Lanka clinched a six-wicket victory against Afghanistan, thanks to a stellar performance by Kusal Mendis and his swift partnership with Kamindu Mendis.
This win allowed Sri Lanka to finish the group stage with an unbeaten record, securing three victories out of three matches. Bangladesh also advanced to the Super Four stage alongside them, joining India and Pakistan from Group A, who each recorded two wins and one loss. Afghanistan, after a strong start against Hong Kong, faced defeats against both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, resulting in an early exit from the tournament.
Chasing a target of 170 runs, Sri Lanka's opening batsmen, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, began aggressively, amassing 22 runs in just two overs with four boundaries. However, Azmatullah Omarzai quickly struck, dismissing Nissanka after he scored a six off five balls, leaving Sri Lanka at 22/1.
Kusal Mendis, who had struggled in previous matches, appeared to regain his form. Kamil Mishara, however, fell victim to Mohammed Nabi, bowled out for just four runs, bringing the score to 47/2 in 5.2 overs.
Sri Lanka reached their 50-run milestone in 5.4 overs, highlighted by a boundary from veteran Kusal Perera. By the end of the sixth over, the score stood at 53/2. The next four overs saw a flurry of boundaries, with Perera finishing the first half of the innings with a slog sweep for four, bringing the score to 82/2 after 10 overs, as he and Mendis built a solid partnership.
In the 12th over, Perera attempted to dominate Mujeeb ur Rahman but was caught by wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz after scoring 28 runs off 20 balls, leaving Sri Lanka at 92/3.
Captain Charith Asalanka joined Mendis at the crease, and the pair quickly added runs, with Mendis reaching his 17th T20I fifty in 40 balls, including six fours. Unfortunately, Asalanka was dismissed for 17 runs off 16 balls, caught by Rashid Khan, leaving the score at 119/4 in 14.5 overs.
After 15 overs, Sri Lanka was at 122/4, needing 48 runs in the final five overs. Despite Rashid Khan's economical final over, Noor Ahmed's next over proved costly, conceding 17 runs, including extras and a boundary from Kusal.
The partnership between Kusal and Kamindu Mendis flourished, with Sri Lanka reaching 150 runs in 17.2 overs. They scored 15 runs in the 18th over, leaving just 10 runs to win.
In Mujeeb's penultimate over, Kusal struck two consecutive fours, completing the chase at 171/4 in 18.4 overs. Kusal finished unbeaten at 74 runs off 52 balls, while Kamindu contributed a brisk 26 runs off 13 balls.
Earlier, Afghanistan's Mohammed Nabi played a remarkable innings, scoring 60 runs off 22 balls, which included three fours and six sixes, leading his team to a total of 169/8. Nabi's explosive finale, which saw him hit five sixes in the last over, was crucial after Afghanistan had struggled at 137/7.
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first but lost three wickets for just 40 runs before the powerplay ended. By the end of six overs, they were at 45/3, with Ibrahim Zadran and Darwish Rasooli at the crease.
Both batters faced difficulties, with Zadran scoring 24 runs off 27 balls and Rasooli managing only nine runs off 16 balls. Omarzai, who had previously performed well, could only muster six runs in four balls, leaving Afghanistan at 79/6 in 12.1 overs.
Nabi and captain Rashid Khan then steadied the innings, helping Afghanistan reach 100 runs in 14.3 overs. Rashid was eventually dismissed for 24 runs off 23 balls, becoming Nuwan Thushara's fourth wicket.
In the death overs, Nabi, alongside Noor, launched an aggressive attack, particularly in the final over against Wellalage, scoring 32 runs and securing a competitive total.
Thushara was the standout bowler for Sri Lanka, achieving figures of 4/18, while Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, and Dasun Shanaka each took one wicket.
Brief Scores: Afghanistan: 169/8 (Mohammed Nabi 60, Ibrahim Zadran 24, Nuwan Thushara 4/18) lost to Sri Lanka: 171/4 in 18.4 overs (Kusal Mendis 74*, Kusal Perera 28, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1/42).