Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, 6th ODI – Who Said What?

Kasun Rajitha. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP) (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

A fairytale turned out to be a nightmare for Afghanistan in their match against Sri Lanka in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. Batting first, the Lankan Lions started well as both openers Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne managed to give them a perfect start. Later on, Kusal Mendis hit 92 runs and set the platform. Towards the fag end of the first innings, Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana contributed some valuable runs as Sri Lanka posted 291 runs on board.

Unlike Sri Lanka, Afghanistan had a poor start with the bat. However, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Karim Janat took control of the situation and kept the scoreboard ticking. Notably, for Afghanistan to qualify for the next round, the team needed to chase the total in 37.1 overs and, hence, needed some firepower. Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi provided that, and with that, the Shahdi-led side came really close to the target. However, Wellalage picked up two important wickets in the middle, which changed everything. In the end, Afghanistan suffered a heart-breaking two-wicket defeat and were eliminated from the competition, while Sri Lanka moved to the next round.

Talking Points from the 6th match between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka:

Kusal Mendis starts the party

Sri Lanka needed someone to step up as they needed a huge total on board. Both openers started well, but neither could take it to the next level, and that’s when Kusal Mendis came and changed the game. He hit 92 runs, which helped Sri Lanka post 291 runs on board.

Shahidi and Nabi’s fightback

Hashmatullah Shahidi and Mohammad Nabi played some brilliant cricket, but neither could take the team home. Their fightback showed that the team has enough potential, but today, unfortunately, wasn’t their day.

Clueless Afghanistan

Afghanistan were clueless regarding the Net Run Rate, and that might have cost them the game. They were supposed to finish in 37.1 overs, and they were aware of that, but there were other factors as well, which the team didn’t know. Something to learn for their analyst.

Losing skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said:

Very disappointed about it (the loss and elimination). We fought well, we gave our 100%. Proud of the team for they way we played, the way we batted. I think in the last couple of years we played good cricket in the ODI format also. We are still learning a lot. We had a lot of positives in this tournament. We are very near to the World Cup, what we did wrong here we will learn and be better for World Cup. Our crowd is always supporting us. We are thankful to them. We tried tour best to give something back to them today, we feel sorry for them.

Winning skipper Dasun Shanaka said:

It’s a tough one, very hard to defend such a total. DDS and my wicket – that was the important part of the game. Mendis and Asalanka built the innings really well. We didn’t chip today. Credit to Theekshana and Wellalage – they played brilliantly to finish on 291. Kasun opened the door for us. Nabi played an outstanding innings which almost took away the game from us. We found a way to win.

POTM Kusal Mendis said:

We batted well in the first ten overs and then in the middle overs. I did my best today for my today. We were under pressure. The bowlers did a great job. With four fielders outside the circle, it’s very hard to bowl. We did well in all three departments and that’s why we won. Wellalage bowled really well, he got two wickets in an over. Matheesha also bowled well, he’s improving.