Pune, (Asian independent) Afghanistan produced an outstanding all-round performance to beat Sri Lanka in Pune by seven wickets. The Afghanistan bowling attack caused Sri Lanka plenty of problems on the Pune surface, restricting the total to 241 despite several batters getting good starts.
The chase was a masterclass in composure, with Afghanistan recovering from the loss of Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the opening over to chase down their target with seven wickets and 28 balls to spare.
Rahmat Shah (62), Hashmatullah Shahidi (58*) and Azmatullah Omarzai (73*) all scored half-centuries after Ibrahim Zadran had set the tone with a classy 39 early in the innings.
The victory keeps Afghanistan in the hunt for one of the semi-final spots, with Sri Lanka’s chances of making the final four all but over.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 241 all out in 49.3 overs (Pathum Nissanka 46, Kusal Mendis 39, Sadeera Samarawickrama 30; Fazalhaq Farooqi 4-34, Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman 2-38) lost to Afghanistan 242/3 in 46.2 overs (Rahmat Shah 62, Hashmatullah Shahidi 58 not out, Azmatullah Omarzai 73 not out; Dilshan Madushanka 2-48) by 7 wickets.
