This Asian clash took place on 30th October 2023 and was hosted by Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune. With 2 victories already in the bag, both teams strived for their 3rd Cricket World Cup 2023 win. The hope for Semi-Final qualification was high for both teams as they yearned for the 2 additional valuable points.
Let’s now have a detailed look at this SL vs Afg clash!
Toss and Playing XIs
The toss was won by Afghanistan’s captain, Hasmatullah Shahidi. Shahidi chose to field first in this exhilarating SL vs Afg encounter.
The players from each team that participated in this match are listed below:
- Pathum Nissanka
- Dimuth Karunaratne
- Kusal Mendis (captain and wicketkeeper)
- Sadeera Samarawickrama
- Clarith Aslanka
- Dhananjaya de Silva
- Angelo Mathews
- Dushmantha Chameera
- Maheesh Theekshana
- Kasun Rajitha
- Dilshan Madushanka
-
Afghanistan’s Playing XI
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Ibrahim Zardan
- Rahmat Shah
- Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain)
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Ikram Alikhil (wicket-keeper)
- Mohammad Nabi
- Rashid Khan
- Mujeed Ur Rahman
- Naveen-ul-Haq
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
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SL vs Afg World Cup 2023 Scorecard
The following tables feature the scorecard of this game:
Sri Lanka’s Innings
| BATTERS | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | 46 | 60 | 76.67 | 5 | 0 |
| Kusal Perera | 14 | 21 | 71.63 | 1 | 0 |
| Kusal Mendis † | 39 | 50 | 78 | 3 | 0 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | 36 | 40 | 90 | 3 | 0 |
| Charith Asalanka | 22 | 28 | 78.57 | 2 | 0 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 14 | 26 | 53.85 | 1 | 0 |
| Angelo Mathews | 23 | 26 | 88.46 | 1 | 1 |
| Dushmantha Chameera | 1 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| Maheesh Theekshan | 29 | 31 | 93.55 | 1 | 1 |
| Kasun Rajitha | 5 | 7 | 71.43 | 0 | 0 |
| Dilshan Madushanka | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTRAS | 11 | ||||
| TOTAL | 241/10 in 49.3 | ||||
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 10 | 0 | 38 | 3.8 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | 10 | 1 | 34 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | 6.3 | 0 | 47 | 7.23 | 0 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 7 | 0 | 37 | 5.29 | 1 |
| Rashid Khan | 10 | 0 | 50 | 5 | 1 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 6 | 0 | 33 | 5.5 | 0 |
Afghanistan’s Innings
| BATTERS | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Ibrahim Zardan | 39 | 57 | 68.42 | 10 | 0 |
| Rahmat Shah | 62 | 74 | 83.78 | 5 | 2 |
| Hasmatullah Shahidi | 58 | 74 | 78.38 | 4 | 0 |
| Azamatullah Omarzai | 73 | 63 | 115.87 | 6 | 3 |
| Extras | 10 | ||||
| TOTAL | 242/3 in 45.2 | ||||
| BOWLERS | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dilshan Madushanka | 9 | 0 | 48 | 2 | 5.33 |
| Kasun Rajitha | 10 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 4.8 |
| Angelo Mathews | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 6 |
| Dushmantha Chameera | 9.2 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 5.46 |
| Maheesh Theekshan | 10 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 5.5 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 4 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 5.25 |
Sri Lankan Innings
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A Slow Start By Sri Lanka
Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka stepped onto the ground to face their Asian rivals in this 30th match of the Cricket World Cup 2023. The pair started slow and took their time familiarising themselves with the pitch conditions.
The opening duo was able to form a partnership of 22 runs off 32 balls. Sri Lanka lost their 1st wicket in the 6th over. Dimuth Karunaratne had to depart for 15 runs (off 20 balls) as he was given LBW out on Fazalhaq Farooqi’s delivery.
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Mendis-Nissanka Union Kept The Runs Flowing
Kusal Mendis came out to accompany Nissanka at the crease. They frequently rotated strikes and added runs to their team’s total in the form of singles and doubles. Soon, they formed a union of 62 runs off 77 balls.
In the 18th over, Azmatullah Omarzai ended this partnership as Pathum Nissanka had to return to the pavilion for 46 runs. An unlucky edge on Nissanka’s bat led to an easy catch taken by Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Sadeera Samarawickrama joined his captain, Kusal Mendis, in this SL vs Afg match. The pair formed an alliance of 50 runs off 57 balls. This partnership helped Sri Lanka take their score from 84/2 in the 18th over to 134/2 in the 28th over.
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Sri Lankan Middle-Order Collapses
Mujeeb Ur Rahman earned his 1st wicket of this game in the 28th over. An attempted six by Kusal Mendis fell short of the boundary and into the hands of Najibullah Zardan. Kusal returned to the dugout after contributing 39 runs off 50 balls. Charith Asalanka replaced his captain at the crease.
Another breakthrough for Afghanistan occurred in the 30th over. Sadeera Samarawickrama was removed by Mujeeb ur Rahman for an LBW. Samarakwickrama returned to the pavilion for 36 runs off 39 deliveries, including 3 boundaries.
Dhananjaya de Silva came out at #6 position. Asalanka and de Silva formed a brief union of 28 runs off 41 deliveries. In the 36th over, Rashid Khan bowled Dhananjaya de Silva for 14 runs off 25 balls.
Things quickly turned from bad to worse for Afghanistan. Just 2 overs after de Silva’s dismissal, Asalanka also returned to the pavilion for 22 runs off 27 balls. His dismissal earned Fazalhaq Farooqi his 2nd wicket of the match.
Angelo Mathews and Dushmantha Chameera now found themselves at the crease. Chameera was run out for just 1 run by Ibrahim Zardan in the 40th over. Sri Lanka were in grave danger as the scoreboard read 185/7.
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Mathews-Theekshana Partnership Helps Sri Lanka To A Decent Total
Maheesh Theekshana came out to accompany Angelo Mathews at the crease. The pair somewhat stabilized things for Sri Lanka as they were momentarily able to stop the tumbling flow of wickets.
A union of 45 runs off 42 balls was made between them. The alliance helped Sri Lanka cross the 220-run mark. Maheesh Theekshana showcased his aggression as he smashed 3 fours and a maximum in his knock.
In the 47th over, the star Afghani bowler, Fazalhaq Farooqi, bowled Maheesh Theekshana for 29 runs off 30 balls. Angelo Mathews soon followed his partner’s pursuit as he was dismissed by Farooqi just one over later. With these 2 wickets, Fazalhaq Farooqi completed his 1st 4-wicket-haul of the Cricket World Cup 2023.
Kasun Rajitha and Dilshan Madushanka now found themselves at the crease to face the remaining 1.5 overs of the innings. On the third-last ball of the Sri Lankan innings, Madushanka was run out by Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a mere 5 runs. Sri Lanka was all bowled out for 241 in 49.3 overs.
Afghanistan’s Innings
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Favorable Beginnings For Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zardan stepped onto the Pune stadium, aiming to secure their 3rd win of the World Cup 2023. Unfortunately, it was an unlucky day for Rahmanullah Gurbaz as he was removed for a duck by Dilshan Madushanka in the very 1st over of the innings.
Rahmat Shah now joined Ibrahim at the crease. The pair played defensively and put together a 73-run partnership off 97 balls. The union set a stable momentum for the Afghanistan team as the chase was decreasing run-by-run.
In the 17th over, Ibrahim Zardan was removed for 39 runs off 57 deliveries. His dismissal allowed Madushanka to bag his 2nd wicket in this Asian clash.
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Rahmat-Shahidi Partnership
The Afghani skipper, Hasmatullah Shahidi, replaced Ibrahim to accompany Rahmat. Rahmat Shah completed his half-century in the 25th over. The in-form batsman accomplished this feat in 61 deliveries.
Hasmatullah and Rahmat put together a partnership of 58 runs off 67 balls. This union helped the duo take their team’s score from 73/2 in the 17th over to 131/2 in the 27th over.
Kasun Rajitha ended this partnership as Rahmat Shah was dismissed for 62 runs off 73 deliveries. Rahmat’s knock included 7 boundaries as well.
- Azmatullah Omarzai’s Knock Guides Afghanistan To Victory
Rahmat Shah was replaced by the classy all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai. Azmatullah showed full support to his captain on the other end of the pitch. Soon, a 4th wicket partnership of 111 runs off 104 balls was formed between Azmatullah and Shahidi.
The Afghani skipper celebrated his half-century off 67 deliveries in the 42nd over. Azmatullah Omarzai followed his partner’s pursuit and completed his half-century exactly one over later. He achieved this goal in 50 deliveries.
Afghanistan was able to gain control of the match and get closer and closer to victory because of this strong alliance. In the 43rd over, Pathum Nissanka dropped Azamtullah’s catch and missed an important opportunity to turn the match around in their favour.
When only 1 run was required off 29 balls for Afghanistan to secure their victory, Asalanka dropped Azmatullah’s catch again. Afghanistan sealed a comfortable win with 7 wickets and 28 balls left. This victory earned Afghanistan their well-deserved 5th spot on the points table.
Conclusion
Afghanistan secured their 3rd World Cup 2023 victory in this SL vs Afg clash. Fazalhaq Farooqi was named the Player of the Match for his impressive 4/34 in 10 overs.
Afghanistan’s captain, Hasmatullah Shahidi, completed his 2000 runs in International Cricket in this match. A dominant display of batting as well as bowling was shown by the Afghani players.
In the batting department, solid performances were shown by Rahmat Shah (62 runs off 74 balls), Hasmatullah Shahidi (58* runs off 74 balls), and Azmatullah Omarzai (73 runs off 64 balls). Dilshan Madushanka and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were able to bag 2 wickets each as well.
