AFG vs SL Review: Sri Lanka left stun after Afghanistan’s top show in Pune
The 30th match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 was held at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, where Afghanistan and Sri Lanka faced off and the Hashmatullah Shahid-led side emerged victorious rather convincingly to make a mark on the tournament.
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field first and made a strong start with the ball, not conceding any boundaries in the first five overs. However, Dimuth Karunaratne broke the streak with a well-timed cover drive. Fazalhaq Farooqi then dismissed Karunaratne with a brilliant inswing delivery.
Pathum Nissanka, another opener, found his form and scored boundaries in four successive overs. Skipper Kusal Mendis, who had a slow start, regained momentum with a cut shot. Mendis and Nissanka had a good partnership, but Nissanka was caught behind after scoring 46. Sadeera Samarawickrama added impetus with boundaries.
However, quick wickets fell in the middle overs as Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed Mendis and Samarawickrama. Sri Lanka struggled to rebuild after losing key batters, and Rashid Khan dismissed all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva. Angelo Matthews came in at No.7 but couldn’t make a significant contribution. Sri Lanka’s innings ended at 241 in 49.3 overs, with Farooqi taking four wickets and Mujeeb taking 2 wickets for Afghanistan.
Chasing the target, Afghanistan had a very bad start as in-form batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed in the very first over courtesy of a brilliant in-swinging delivery by Dilshan Madhushanka. But then Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah came together and stitched a good partnership for the second wicket, adding 73 runs. However, Zadran was dismissed while attempting an uppercut, offering a simple catch towards third man.
Rahmat Shah looked good from the other end and scored a solid fifty, reaching 62 off 74 balls. Then captain Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai came together and formed a strong partnership for the fourth wicket, helping their team comfortably win the game by seven wickets in the end. Shahidi scored 58 not out, while Azmatullah remained unbeaten on 73.
Top Performers of the Match
Azmatullah Omarzai (73* of 63)
Afghanistan’s team seemed to be in trouble when set batter Rahmat Shah was dismissed at a score of 131. However, all-rounder Omarzai displayed great resilience and batting skills, playing a brilliant knock of 73 to secure the victory. He had a match-winning partnership with the captain, smashing six fours and three sixes in his impressive innings.
Fazalhaq Farooqi (4/34, 10 overs)
Fazalhaq Farooqi did not find a place in the playing 11 in the previous match against Pakistan. However, for this match, the team management decided to trust him again as he replaced Noor Ahmed in the lineup. Farooqi bowled brilliantly, restricting the Sri Lankan batters to a below-par total. He took four important wickets, including those of Dimuth Karunaratne, Charith Asalanka, and Angelo Mathews.
What next?
Going ahead, Sri Lanka will play against India on November 2 while Afghanistan will take on the Netherlands on November 3.
