Comfortable win for afghanistan , 3rd in this world cup

Comfortable win for Afghanistan in this ICC men’s 2023 world cup where they had shown a complete game of cricket . this win against Sri lanka directly puts them on 5th position in the points table where their chances for making a place in semi-finals is more strong.

Just one win from two World Cups before this for Afghanistan, and they now have 3 in 6 games. If they can win 2 of their remaining 3, they have a decent chance of making it to the semis. For a lot of years, it was their bowling that made the headlines, but now it’s their batting. Clear sign of a team that’s worked really hard to get all the bases covered. For all the associate nations, Afghanistan’s rise in international cricket should act as a great catalyst in hoping and doing great things on the world stage.

Afghanistan had an amazing day in the World Cup on Monday in Pune, as they comfortably defeated Sri Lanka for their third victory in the tournament. Earlier, they had already beaten England and Pakistan, and now with this win, they have positioned themselves well for a chance at the semi-finals.

In their pursuit of 242 runs, Afghanistan faced an early setback when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed by Dilshan Madushanka. However, they managed to stay in control of the game throughout the chase. Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran made valuable contributions, with Zadran even hitting a six off Kasun Rajitha to assert their dominance. Sri Lanka’s Angelo Matthews, who performed well in the previous match, struggled as Afghanistan swiftly scored 50 runs in the powerplay.

Madushanka returned to break the promising partnership, slowing down Afghanistan’s scoring rate. Despite this, Afghanistan remained composed as Rahmat approached another half-century. However, on 62, Rahmat couldn’t capitalize on a chance given by Sadeera Samarawickrama, as he failed to read a slower delivery and miscued it, giving an opportunity to the opposition. Sri Lanka couldn’t make the most of this chance, and Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai and Hashmatullah Shahidi capitalized on the situation.

The two batsmen steadily approached the target by taking singles, but it was Azmatullah who changed the game with a six over deep midwicket off Theekshana. This shot seemed to have lifted the pressure as he used the ramp shot for another six in the next over, allowing Afghanistan to gain control of the chase. At the 40-over mark, Afghanistan had already scored 201 runs, prompting the two batsmen to switch gears and aim for a decisive victory. Shahidi and Azmatullah went on a boundary spree, each reaching their fifties and eventually securing the win with 28 balls to spare.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka couldn’t capitalize on a favorable batting surface, losing momentum halfway through their innings to finish at 241. The decision to reintroduce Dimuth Karunaratne didn’t work, as Fazalhaq Farooqi, back in the playing XI, dismissed him early on. Pathum Nissanka then took charge, hitting a boundary in each of the next four overs to get Sri Lanka going, while Kusal Mendis picked up the pace after a slow start.

Despite Nissanka’s departure at 46, Sri Lanka maintained a good run rate, stabilizing the innings around the halfway point. However, Mujeeb’s consecutive dismissals of both well-set batsmen altered the course of the game. Dhananjaya de Silva, who seemed out of form, was sent back by Rashid Khan with a googly.

Angelo Matthews was left to salvage the innings, but he witnessed more wickets falling at the other end. Theekshana contributed to the score, and Matthews added some vital runs towards the end. Farooqi returned to claim two more wickets, ending with a four-fer and ensuring Sri Lanka ended with a score below par.

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