In a nail-biting encounter at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first in the last match of the Asia Cup’s 2023 group stage against Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side. Sri Lanka managed to post a competitive total of 291-8 in their allotted 50 overs as Hashmatullah Shahidi‘s tactics weren’t that effective in a crunch match as Hashmatullah Shahidi should have introduced Rashid Khan earlier into the attack
Afghanistan, needing to chase down the target in 37.1 overs to qualify for the Super Four round due to their poor run rate, came so close but ultimately fell short, scoring 289-10 in 37.4 overs. Sri Lanka secured the victory by the narrowest of margins, just 2 runs, making it the closest win in Asia Cup history, matching Pakistan’s 2-run win against Bangladesh in 2012.
Nepal from Group A and Afghanistan from Group B had been eliminated. With this win, Sri Lanka has now won 12 consecutive ODIs in 2023.
Top Performer of the Match
The Vice Captain of Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis, named the Player of the Match, played a crucial role for Sri Lanka. He scored 92 runs in 84 balls, which included 6 fours and 3 sixes, at a strike rate of 109.52. Mendis anchored the innings but fell just 8 runs short of what could have been his third ODI century. He also achieved milestones by completing 3000 runs and 300 fours in ODIs.
Sri Lanka’s right-arm pacer Kasun Rajitha had a mixed performance, conceding runs but taking four vital wickets. His figures of 10-0-79-4 included key dismissals like Rahmanullah Gurbaz (4), Ibrahim Zadran (7), Rahmat Shah (45), and Najibullah Zadran (23). His wicket of Najibullah Zadran was particularly game-changing.
Afghanistan’s all-rounder Mohammad Nabi played a blazing innings, scoring 65 runs in just 32 balls, featuring 6 fours and 5 sixes. His fast fifty in 24 balls was the fastest by an Afghan batter in ODIs, surpassing Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s record of 26 balls against Pakistan earlier in the year. However, his dismissal at a crucial juncture left Afghanistan hanging as skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi couldn’t dictate the terms and was finding it tough to clear the fence.
Afghanistan’s Power Hitting and Last Over Drama
Afghanistan faced a challenging task, needing to chase 292 in 37.1 overs to surpass Sri Lanka’s run rate for qualification. Unfortunately, they got off to a shaky start as their openers were dismissed cheaply, courtesy of Kasun Rajitha’s stellar bowling.
Gulbadin Naib’s quick 22 off 16 balls was promising, but he fell to pacer Matheesha Pathirana. Rahmat Shah added 45 runs, while skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi played a vital innings with 59 runs.
However, it was Mohammad Nabi’s explosive 65 that brought Afghanistan tantalizingly close to a historic victory. Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, and Karim Janat contributed with cameos, but Sri Lanka’s Dunith Wellalage and Dhananjaya de Silva defended 16 runs in 7 balls to help Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by a margin of 2 runs only.
The team management of Afghanistan appeared to be unaware of the possible scenarios and failed to communicate the critical equation in the last over. The equation was: Even if Afghanistan couldn’t reach the 292-run target in 37.1 overs, they could have still qualified if they managed to hit a six in the next three deliveries. Unfortunately, Rashid Khan seemed unaware of this situation, and no effort was made. Consequently, Fazalhaq Farooqi faced two deliveries without attempting to score before he was dismissed by Dhananjaya De Silva.
In the last couple of years we played good cricket in the ODI format also – Hashmatullah Shahidi
Dejected Afghanistan’s skipper, Hashmatullah Shahidi, expressed his disappointment after the heartbreaking elimination. Hashmatullah Shahidi also expressed his regret to the crowd that had been cheering them throughout the Asia Cup campaign during the post-match presentation.
“Very disappointed about it (the loss and elimination). We fought well, we gave our 100%. Proud of the team for they way we played, the way we batted. I think in the last couple of years we played good cricket in the ODI format also. We are still learning a lot,” said Hashmatullah Shahidi.
“We had a lot of positives in this tournament. We are very near to the World Cup, what we did wrong here we will learn and be better for World Cup. Our crowd is always supporting us. We are thankful to them. We tried tour best to give something back to them today, we feel sorry for them,” he added.
Afghanistan narrowly missed qualification, while Sri Lanka secured a Super Four spot. Their first match is on September 9th against Bangladesh at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium.