लेख विवरण

Kathmandu, The battered and battered minnows would have eliminated the defending champions from the 16th edition of the Asia Cup had they advanced, but Sri Lanka prevailed on the gung-ho of Player of the Match Kusal Mendis' 92 off 84 and the late stager stuff of Afghanistan to win by a nail-biting 2 runs as Afghanistan edged closer and closer to going past the 291 target in the stipulated 37.1 overs.

Following Nabi's attack of five sixes and six fours, Afghanistan re-started the game, needing 91 off 64 balls, and exited at 201 for 5 after 26.3 overs. Earlier, they had taken a strike at 121 for 4 off 18.4, needing 171 to win off 110. Afghanistan was 15 short of the mark going into the final over, which Rashid Khan, 27, off 16 (4, 1), brought down to three in a 3-boundary spurt, but Mujeeb Ur Rahman was struck by the penultimate ball, forcing Afghanistan to lose.

In that ding-dong match, Kasun Rajitha of Sri Lanka grabbed centre stage with the bowling, taking 4 wickets for 79 runs. This included both of the openers, Rhmanullah Gurbaz, who was caught behind for 4 runs; Ibrahim Zadran, whom he clean bowled for 7 runs; and No. 4 Rahmat Shah, who was held by Pathirana for 45 runs. In spite of frontliner Maheesh Theeksahana being costly, giving up 62 for 1 wicket, Matheesha Pathirana giving up 63 for 1 off their 10, and Dasun Shanaka giving up 32 off 2 overs, Dhananjaya de Silva, who was brought in as the sixth change, did an equally outstanding job, taking 2 wickets for 12 in just one over and four balls.

CHIEF SCORES:

Sri Lanka 291/8 (50 Overs)

(Pathum Nissanka c Naj Zad b Gulbadin Naib 41, Dimuth Karunaratne 32, Kusal Mendis r.o. 92, Charith Asalana 36, Dhananjaya d Silva 14, Dunith Wellalage n.o. 33, Maheesh Theekshana 28, Gulbadin Naib 4/60, Rashid Khan 2/63, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1/60)

Afghanistan 289 (50 Overs)

(Ibrahim Zadran 14, Gulbadin Naib 22, Rahmat Shah 45, Hashmatullah Shahidi 59, Mohammad Nabi 65, Karim Janat 22, Najibullah Zadran 23, Rashid Khan n.o. 27, Kasun Rajitha 4/79, Dhananjaya de Silva 2/12, Dunith Wellalage 2/36, Maheesh Theekshana 1/62, Matheesha Pathirana 1/63)