ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, Afghanistan Won by 7 Wickets.
Cricket World Cup 2023
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan vs on Monday, October 30, in Pune, 30th Match, Afghanistan’s incredible World Cup campaign took another step forward as they easily beat Sri Lanka and won their third victory of the tournament. Afghanistan has mathematically maintained themselves in the running for a semifinal spot after eliminating England, which was followed by a memorable victory against Pakistan in Chennai.
Afghanistan pulled back early in the chase of 242 when Dilshan Madushanka castled Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Yet they maintained their lead during the entire pursuit after that. Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran both got off to a boundary to start the innings, and the latter even gave Kasun Rajitha a six to further establish his dominance. Afghanistan scored 50 runs in the powerplay after Angelo Matthews, who shined with the ball in the last match for Sri Lanka, let up two boundaries in his opening over.
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The dangerous pairing was broken by Madushanka’s comeback, which stopped the scoring pace. However, as Rahmat moved toward yet another half-century, Afghanistan remained calm. Rahmat missed an opportunity to take advantage of a lifeline provided by Sadeera Samarawickrama on 62 when he misplayed a slower delivery, giving the opposition a chance. However, Azmatullah Omarzai and Hashmatullah Shahidi enjoyed themselves so much that Sri Lanka never took advantage of that chance.
Before Azmatullah broke away with a six over deep midwicket from Theekshana, the two batsmen continued to take singles to gradually come closer to the objective. That was the turning point he needed, as Afghanistan gradually gained control of the chase and he went on to score another six in the very next over, making excellent use of the ramp shot. The two batsmen immediately changed gears, recognizing a chance for a major win, and by the time the 40th over was complete, Afghanistan had already scored 201. After going on an extended string of boundary hits, Shahidi and Azmatullah each reached their respective fifties and ultimately reached the mark with 28 balls remaining.
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Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka lost control of their innings around the midway mark and finished with just 241, demonstrating their inability to take advantage of a batting-friendly surface. The plan to insert Dimuth Karunaratne back into the side proved ineffective as Fazalhaq Farooqi took him out of the game before his time. After a sluggish start, Pathum Nissanka grabbed control and smashed a boundary in each of the following four overs to eventually spark Sri Lanka’s innings, while Kusal Mendis also teed off.
Nissanka pulled ahead by one to go for 46, but Sri Lanka’s run pace didn’t decrease. Around the midway point, Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama stabilized the innings, putting Sri Lanka in a strong position. At that point, Mujeeb seized command and ended the game by taking out both of the set hitters in back-to-back overs. Rashid Khan sent an awkward-looking Dhananjaya de Silva back with a googly.
For More Details: ICC Cricket.com
Angelo Matthews was now called upon to rescue the innings, yet the veteran saw more wickets falling at another end. Theekshana gained control of the scoring and Matthews made some crucial runs towards the end, but Farooqi returned to finish with a four-fer and restrict their opponents to a score below par.
Highlights: Afghanistan 242/3 in 45.2 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 73*, Rahmat Shah 62, Dilshan Madushanka 2/48) defeated Sri Lanka 241 in 49.3 overs (Pathum Nissanka 46; Fazalhaq Farooqi 4/34, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/38) by 7 wickets.
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