ICC World Cup 2023: Afghanistan secures a dominant victory against Sri Lanka

PUNE: Afghanistan's remarkable journey in this World Cup continued as they claimed another significant victory, this time against Sri Lanka. In the evening's match, Afghanistan convincingly secured a seven-wicket win.

Opting to bowl after winning the toss, Afghanistan quickly dismissed Sri Lanka's opener, Karunaratne. However, Pathum Nissanka and Kushal Mendis formed a strong partnership, accumulating 62 runs. Following Nissanka's (46) departure, Samarawickrama (36) teamed up with Mendis (39) to add another 50 runs to the scoreboard.

Despite Sri Lanka's attempts to amass a substantial total, the Afghan bowlers effectively controlled their run rate. Frequent wicket losses also hindered Sri Lanka's batting momentum, and they were eventually bowled out for 241 runs in 49.3 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi (4/34) was Afghanistan's standout bowler, claiming four wickets.

Afghanistan faced an early setback when opener Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck in the first over. Nevertheless, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah steadied the chase with a 73-run partnership. After Zadran's (39) departure, Captain Shahidi and Shah collaborated for a 58-run stand, with Shah reaching his half-century.

Shah (62) fell after completing his fifty, but Shahidi (58*) and Azmatullah Omarzai (73*) effectively guided their team to victory, each scoring a half-century. Afghanistan reached their target, posting 242/3 in just 45.2 overs.

This victory propelled Afghanistan to the fifth position in the points table, ahead of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and England. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka now faces the daunting task of winning their remaining matches to remain in contention for the semifinals.

Scorecard:

Sri Lanka: 241/10 (49.3 overs)

Afghanistan: 242/3 (45.2 overs)