The last group stage game of the Asia Cup 2023 saw Afghanistan taking on Sri Lanka in Lahore on September 5 in what was a very interesting game. There was only one spot remaining in the Super 4s stage and only one of these teams could qualify.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first. Kusal Mendis led the charge with 92 with excellent contributions from Pathum Nissanka (41), Charith Asalanka (36), and Dunith Wellalage (33*) as Sri Lanka posted 291/8 in 50 overs.
Gulbadin Naib with 4/60 was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan started their chase poorly losing both Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran for single-digit scores while they needed to chase down the total in 37.1 overs.
However, Rahmat Shah (45), Mohammad Nabi (65 in 32 balls), and Hashmatullah Shahidi (59) kept them in the hunt for the target. Down the order, Karim Janat, Najibullah Zadran, and Rashid Khan (27*) almost took the Afghan team home.
However, they were seemingly unaware that they could’ve qualified if they had made 295 in 37.4 overs and had 3 more balls to achieve a bit more. In the end, Sri Lanka bowled them out for 289 runs and won the match by 2 runs to qualify for the Super 4s.
The cricket fraternity was left breathless after such a close encounter and shared their emotions on social media.
Here are some reactions:
