Nuwan Thushara picked 4-18 while wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis produced a composed unbeaten 74 off 52 balls to guide Sri Lanka to a six-wicket win over Afghanistan in their final Group B fixture of the Asia Cup at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
The result confirmed Sri Lanka and Bangladesh’s progression to the Super Fours, while Afghanistan, last year’s T20 World Cup semi-finalists, were knocked out of the tournament. Chasing 170 on a surface offering grip and bounce, Sri Lanka made a tricky target look routine, thanks largely to Kusal’s assured knock laced with ten boundaries – with his pull, cuts, and sweeps being an absolute delight to watch.
Sri Lanka’s innings began with a flourish but soon went into troubled waters. Pathum Nissanka was dismissed for six, after pulling Azmatullah Omarzai straight to short fine leg. Kamil Mishara followed soon after, chipping Mohammad Nabi to extra cover. At 52/2 after the power play, the game was finely balanced.
Kusal, however, ensured stability. He reached his fifty off 40 balls with a sweep, equalling Nissanka’s tally of 17 T20I half-centuries. His ability to rotate strike and pick gaps kept Sri Lanka ahead of the required rate, even as wickets fell at the other end.
Kusal Perera’s dismissal, caught behind off Mujeeb Ur Rahman, briefly gave Afghanistan hope, but Charith Asalanka’s late dab to backward point took Sri Lanka to 101/3, confirming their qualification to the Super Fours. Asalanka fell soon after, and Kamindu Mendis survived a run-out scare when Rashid Khan, attempting a direct hit, injured his back and left the field.
Kusal and Kamindu closed out the chase with calculated aggression, picking boundaries off Noor and Fazalhaq Farooqi before the former sealed the win with a scything cut and a pull through mid-wicket off Mujeeb for boundaries. Afghanistan’s bowlers were also guilty of leaking runs at crucial junctures, as they suffered a premature exit from the competition despite Nabi’s heroics of 60 off just 22 balls.
Previously, the veteran Nabi unleashed a death-overs masterclass in a blazing knock, including hitting six sixes, and powered Afghanistan to 169/ in a must-win game. Afghanistan were floundering at 120/7 at the end of 18 overs, but Nabi, the longest-serving member of the Afghanistan side, turned the tide with a breathtaking assault in the final two overs – amassing a jaw-dropping 46 runs, of which 32 runs came in the final over.
His 35-run stand with skipper Rashid (24) was the highest partnership of the innings, and his final-over fireworks off Dunith Wellalage – five sixes, including one coming off a no-ball – took Afghanistan from a middling total to a competitive one. Incidentally, Nabi was dropped once in the deep by Wellalage – an error which came back to bite Sri Lanka hard.
Afghanistan had started brightly by amassing 26 runs in the first two overs. But they lost momentum after Thushara’s incisive powerplay spell saw him remove Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Karim Janat, and Sediqullah Atal to reduce Afghanistan to 45/3 at the end of power-play.
Afghanistan found themselves struggling with strike rotation, especially with no boundary coming after the fourth over. Sri Lanka’s fielding was electric – Kusal Perera’s relay catch to dismiss Darwish Rasooli, while Dushmantha Chameera’s acrobatic grab to send back Azmatullah Omarzai.
Rashid started the counter-attack by carting Shanaka for a pair of boundaries, including a delightful no-look six, before being castled by Thushara. Nabi’s fightback began when he hit Chameera for a hat-trick of boundaries – behind point, in front of square, and via an edge to fine leg, as 17 runs came.
In the final over by Wellalage, Nabi pounced by launching the first three balls for sixes, before getting two more maximums and then being run out on the final ball. Nabi’s final flourish has ensured Afghanistan have a fighting chance to book their spot in Super Fours, which didn’t materialise as they were outwitted by a spirited Sri Lanka.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 169/8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Nabi 60, Rashid Khan 24; Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Dasun Shanaka 1-29) lost to Sri Lanka 171/4 in 18.4 overs (Kusal Mendis 74 not out, Kusal Perera 28; Azmatullah Omarzai 1-10, Noor Ahmad 1-37) by six wickets
