Tags: World Cup 2023,
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, 30th Match at Pune, Oct 30, 2023,
Sri Lanka,
Afghanistan
Published on: Oct 31, 2023
Scorecard
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Afghanistan registered their second consecutive win of World Cup 2023 and third of the edition, defeating Sri Lanka by seven wickets in match number 30 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Monday, October 30. Bowling first after winning the toss, Afghanistan restricted Sri Lanka to 241 as Fazalhaq Farooqi shone with 4/34. Rahmat Shah (62), Hashmatullah Shahidi (58 not out) and Azmatullah Omarzai (73 not out) then combined to lift Afghanistan to victory in 45.2 overs.
Afghanistan got off to a good start with the ball as Farooqi trapped Dimuth Karunaratne lbw for 15. The fielding side took a brilliant review to overturn the original decision to not out. Pathum Nissanka (46) and Kusal Mendis (39) added 62 runs for the second wicket as Sri Lanka build a solid foundation. However, they lost their way after the partnership was broken.
Nissanka fell four short of his fifth consecutive half-century, caught behind after poking at a delivery from Azmatullah that had a hint of extra bounce. Skipper Mendis also could not convert his start, top-edging a slog sweep off Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/38) to deep midwicket. From 84/1, Sri Lanka had slipped to 134/3.
Getting in and getting out was a feature of Sri Lanka’s batting on the day that hurt them severely in the end. Sadeera Samarawickrama scored 36 before being trapped leg before by Mujeeb. Charith Asalanka (22), Dhananjaya de Silva (14) and Angelo Mathews (23) all got into double figures, but the big knock was missing.
Chasing 242, Afghanistan got off to a poor start as Dilshan Madushanka knocked over Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0) with an inswinger. However, that was about it as far as celebrations were concerned for Sri Lanka. Ibrahim Zadran (39) and Rahmat added 73 for the second wicket. After the former perished to a short ball from Madushanka, Rahmat and skipper Hashmatullah added 58 for the third wicket.
Rahmat’s fine knock ended when he chipped a catch to mid-on off Rajitha’s bowling. However, Shahidi and Omarzai shut the door on Sri Lanka with contrasting knocks in an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 111. While the Afghanistan captain anchored the innings, and Omarzai played the aggressor. His emphatic knock featured six fours and three sixes as Afghanistan raced home to another memorable win.
–By A Cricket Correspondent