Asia Cup: Sri Lanka reach Super Fours; Afghanistan knocked out
In what was a cracking contest, Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, to reach the Asia Cup 2023 Super Fours. The Afghans had to chase 292 before 37.1 overs to qualify for this stage. Mohammad Nabi's record-breaking half-century fueled their run-chase, but they fell two runs short eventually. As a result, SL claimed their 12th successive win in the format.
How did the match pan out?
Batting first, SL openers Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne added 63 runs. SL lost three quick wickets before Charith Asalanka and Kusal Mendis shared a 102-run stand. Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana took SL to 291/8. Afghanistan were reduced to 50/3. Rahman Shah scored 45, while Nabi's quickfire 65 helped Afghanistan gain momentum. The chase was on, but SL won the dying moments.
Mendis slams his 23rd ODI fifty
Mendis came to the crease after a 63-run stand by the SL openers. However, they lost a couple of wickets and were reduced to 86/3. The 28-year-old and Charith Asalanka stitched a crucial 102-run stand, which kept the Lankans afloat. Mendis continued after Asalanka's departure as he added 33 more runs with Dhananjaya de Silva. He smashed an 84-ball 92, his 23rd ODI half-century.
Mendis gets past 3,000 ODI runs
During the innings, Mendis completed 3,000 runs in ODI cricket. Mendis, who has been a vital part of SL's ODI team, now owns 3,042 runs in 108 games at an average of 31.68. His strike rate in the format read 84.57. The tally includes two tons besides 23 fifties. No other SL batter has scored even 2,000 ODI runs since Mendis's debut.
Naib takes a crucial four-wicket haul
Naib came into the attack in the eighth over and he removed Karunaratne in the 10th over, breaking the 63-run partnership. He dismissed Nissanka, who handed a catch straight to the point fielder. Naib then caught the outside edge of Sadeera Samarawickrama's bat to scalp his third wicket. He later knocked over Maheesh Theekshana to record figures worth 4/60 (third four-wicket haul).
Nabi slams Afghanistan's fastest ODI fifty
Nabi's whirlwind knock kept Afghanistan's qualification hopes alive. He took on the Lankan bowlers, having smashed 6 fours and 5 sixes. Nabi hammered 65 off 32 balls and finished with a strike rate of 203.12. The right-handed batter smashed a 24-ball half-century, now the fastest for Afghanistan in ODI cricket. He broke the record of Mujeeb Ur Rahman (off 26 balls vs Pakistan, 2023).
Nabi's incredible strike rate
As mentioned, Nabi struck at an incredible 203.12, now the second-highest strike rate in an ODI Asia Cup innings. Notably, Pakistan's Shahid Afridi is the only other batter with a strike rate of over 200 in this regard (206.66 vs Bangladesh, Dambulla, 2010).
A look at the Super Fours scenario
After beating Afghanistan by a narrow margin, Sri Lanka became the table toppers (Group B). While the Afghans have been eliminated, SL, along with Bangladesh have reached the Super Fours. The Lankans finished with a Net Run Rate of +0.044. From Group A, India and Pakistan have qualified for this stage. India had knocked Nepal out after beating them by 10 wickets.
Another record winning streak in ODIs
Sri Lanka have now won 12 consecutive ODIs, having earlier recorded their longest winning streak in the format. Overall, SL now have the joint second-longest winning streak in the format, with South Africa (12 in 2005 and 2016/17). The two teams are only behind Australia, who own a record 21 back-to-back wins in the 50-over format (2003).
