In a match that shifted from one end of the spectrum to the other, Dasun Shanaka-led’s side survived the Afghanistan scare and managed to sneak away with a 2-run victory in Lahore. Batting first, Sri Lanka put up a score of 292 on the back of an impressive showcase from their top order as the skipper Dasun Shanaka stood tall from one end and fight from the tail. In reply, Afghanistan had to chase down the target in 37.1 overs if they had to qualify for the Super 4 stage, but a combination of miscommunication and miscalculation caused their eventual defeat.
Winning the toss, Sri Lanka had no hesitation in batting first and their openers proved their captain right as Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne dominated the bowlers in the powerplay scoring against seamers and spinners alike. Both the openers fell in quick succession after the powerplay along with the wicket of Samarawickrama giving Afghanistan an advantage.
Just when the Afghanistan seemed to have an upper hand, Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka launched a counterattack and stitched a hundred partnership that got them closer to two hundred, and brought back Sri Lanka to the game. Rashid Khan caught Asalanka on his own bowling, this opened the floodgates as Sri Lanka lost 4 quick wickets in the next six overs, with Kusal Mendis being run out in the most unfortunate fashion.
Sri Lanka found themselves at 227-7 with 10 overs to go, however, the tail wagged hard and cameos from Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage stormed Sri Lanka to a total of 291 in 50 overs.
Afghanistan came into bat with the intent of chasing to total in 37.1 overs so as to have a chance at qualifying. Kasun Rajitha removed the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the opening overs with Ibrahim Zadran following suit. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah came together scoring a useful 71 amongst themselves. Rahmat Shah was soon foxed by a slower ball from Rajitha.
In came Mohammad Nabi, who launched an assault on the Lankan bowlers scoring the fastest fifty for Afghanistan in the process. Nabi scored 65 off just 32 which included 5 sixes. When Nabi was dismissed in the 27th over, Afghanistan required just 91 runs of 64 deliveries to qualify further. They seemed cruising towards a win and eventual qualification, but a double-wicket over from Wellalage put them on the backfoot yet again.
Rashid Khan and Najibullah Zadran kept the scoreboard ticking and took them closer to the target. However, drama ensued when Najibullah Zadran fell 16 short of the target and Rashid Khan got stuck at the non-striker’s end with 3 needed of 1 ball for Afghanistan to qualify.
Mujib Ur Rahman hit the ball straight into the hands of the fielder, bringing the last man Fazalhaq Farooqi into the crease, with Afghanistan still having a chance to qualify if they hit a boundary or a six of the next two balls.
A possible miscommunication from the dugout meant that Farooqui was unaware of the scenario, and spilled their chances of qualifying before he was trapped in front of the wicket by Wellalage. Afghanistan fell short of the target by just 2 runs after a dramatic encounter as Dasun Shanaka’s decision to give DDS the over proved to be decisive and master-stroke. Dasun Shanaka didn’t panic even when Afghanistan’s batters were whacking the bowlers all around the park
It’s a tough one, very hard to defend such a total, but we found a way to win – Dasun Shanaka
During the post match presentation, Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka praised his batters, especially Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka for jousting them to a very good total, but felt that his team didn’t chip today. Dasun Shanaka showered special praises on the tail-enders for their cameos that helped Sri Lanka finish on a high.
“DDS and my wicket – that was the important part of the game. Mendis and Asalanka built the innings really well. We didn’t chip today. Credit to Theekshana and Wellalage – they played brilliantly to finish on 291″ said Dasun Shanaka.
“Kasun opened the door for us. Nabi played an outstanding inning which almost took away the game from us. We found a way to win,” he added.
Sri Lanka advanced to the Super 4 as the toppers in their pool.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2023 : The Top 3 Spells By Sri Lankan Bowlers In The History Of The Asia Cup