Afghanistan won the toss and chose to field first against Asian giants Sri Lanka. When Fazalhaq Farooqi made his comeback, he got off to an early start by eliminating Dimuth Karunaratne, another comeback candidate. With a 62-run partnership, Pathum Nissanka as well as Kusal Mendis stabilised the innings.
However, during their partnership, they never made an effort to control the bowlers. Throughout the middle innings, Hasmatullah Shahidi employed his spinners and monitored the run rate. They were able to keep the batters tied at one end and run-rate to a minimum.
The excellent Mujeeb-ur-Rahman successfully applied pressure, dismissing both of the set batters. Moreover, it set off a collapse, with Sri Lanka falling from 134 for two to 185 for seven. After hanging around, Angelo Mathews identified Mahesh Theekshana to be a willing partner in helping Sri Lanka over 240.
Afghanistan chase down SL total to register 3rd win
The total of 241 was never likely to be enough on a strong batting surface. Even though Sri Lanka removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over, the others looked like they were about to give up. The only player to fall short of a fifty, Ibrahim Zadran, was removed at 49.
However, with hardly any bumps on the road, Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Shahidi scored more than fifty to finish the pursuit. Although Sri Lankan bowling remained inconsistent, they were unable to play with the necessary rate pressure due to a lack of runs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi won the Player of the Match award for his impressive performance in the first innings. He took four wickets in his comeback game and was well-worthy of this award. The bowler spoke to the media upon receiving the award.
He said, “Thanks to the Almighty, nice to have 3 wins in the tournament, happy to have contributed to the team win. I was looking for swing with the new ball, but I didn’t get it, so I just kept it simple, hit the right areas, didn’t want to concede boundaries and that’s how I succeeded.”
Fans react as Afghanistan clinch crucial 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka in ODI World Cup 2023:
AFGHANISTAN DEFEATED SRI LANKA IN PUNE…!!! ?? pic.twitter.com/TYDihYFXW8
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 30, 2023
Had they not lost to Bangladesh, they would have been very strong contenders for the top 4 today, although they still are..!!
— Anuj (@AnujDeswal013) October 30, 2023
Another stunning win for Afghanistan. Congratulations team Afgan. You deserve all credits for playing excellent cricket in this world cup. Domination over England, Pakistan and Srilanka was not easy but you did it.
BIG CONGRATULATIONS. #SLvAFG #AFGvsL— Satya Prakash (@Satya_Prakash08) October 30, 2023
They are the real contenders after India for World Cup
— CricXtra (@CricXtra_) October 30, 2023
Afghanistan is emerging as a promising team in world cricket. In #WorldCup2023, their professionalism, display of talent, team spirit and they are approaching every game with the determination to win, are highly appreciable.
Long way to go !
— Priyanka (@Pinky209E) October 30, 2023
Wow, what an epic victory for Afghanistan! Congratulations on the incredible performance!
— Stewie (@StewzieGriffin) October 30, 2023
Afghanistan Defeated 1992 Champions Pakistan
Afghanistan Defeated 1996 Champions Sri lanka
Afghanistan Defeated 2019 Champions EnglandWhat Campaign Team afghanistan is having ?????#AFGvsL #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/Wwpd5OdMKL
— Cricket Freak (@Cricjunction008) October 30, 2023
Afghanistan is second best Asian team after India, they playing like a unit…
— Kirkett (@bhaskar_sanu08) October 30, 2023
Pakistan fans to Pakistan team: pic.twitter.com/CDgHjh1j67
— VJ (@VJsGamer) October 30, 2023
The world must learn from Afghanistan. They’ve punched above their weight, and credit to these players who’ve shown maturity and the will to do well for their country. pic.twitter.com/xP86IHtnId
— Mr.Yadav? (@Mr_Yadav360) October 30, 2023
Afghanistan need more games with big teams
— Satya Prakash (@Satya_Prakash08) October 30, 2023
