An intense showdown took place at the MCA International Stadium in Pune between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on October 30th, in a crucial encounter during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. This match held immense significance because a defeat for either team would have effectively dashed their dreams of making it to the semi-finals.
Afghanistan’s captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, decided to put Sri Lanka into bat first after winning the toss. In a few changes to their lineup, Fazalhaq Farooqi replaced Noor Ahmad, and Rashid Khan marked his 100th ODI appearance. On the Sri Lankan side, Dushmantha Chameera and Dimuth Karunaratne stepped in for Lahiru Kumara and Kusal Perera.
Pathum Nissanka had an impressive start, notching up 46 runs from 60 balls. Kusal Mendis contributed with 39, and Sadeera Samarawickrama added 36 runs, but Afghanistan’s bowlers managed to make breakthroughs at regular intervals.
Expectations were high for Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva, and both got their innings going. Asalanka posted 22 runs, while De Silva made 14 before getting dismissed.
It was then left to Angelo Mathews, who scored 23, and Maheesh Theekshana, who contributed 29, to help Sri Lanka reach a total of 241 runs. Fazalhaq Farooqi was the standout performer for Afghanistan, claiming 4/34, while Naveen Ul Haq secured two wickets. In his 100th ODI, Rashid Khan also managed to grab one wicket.
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Sri Lanka’s best chance lay in taking early wickets, and that’s precisely what Dilshan Madushanka accomplished. He started by dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck and then managed to send the dangerous Ibrahim Zadran back to the pavilion after he had scored 39 runs.
However, Afghanistan’s Rahmat Shah, who contributed 62 runs, built a solid 58-run partnership with captain Shahidi for the third wicket. Shahidi, accompanied by Azmatullah Omarzai, then continued the steady pursuit of victory. Shahidi ended the match unbeaten at 58, while Omarzai played a crucial innings of 73*, and together, they added an unbeaten 111 runs for the fourth wicket.
In the end, Afghanistan emerged victorious in their third match of the CWC 2023, winning by 7 wickets in the 46th over. This victory also elevated them to fifth place in the points table, with 6 points earned from 6 games.
The Afghanistan team has garnered immense praise from fans and the cricket community for their remarkable performance in this World Cup.
Here are some of the reactions by fans on social media:
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