Afghanistan knock Sri Lanka out of Asia Cup

Afghanistan produced a dominant all-round performance to eliminate Sri Lanka from the Asia Cup, defeating the Islanders by 91 runs in their Group B match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Tuesday.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Afghanistan posted a competitive 249 before bowling Sri Lanka out for 158 in 41.2 overs. The victory sent Afghanistan through to the Super Fours from Group B alongside Bangladesh.

The win was particularly significant for Afghanistan as it marked their first-ever ODI victory over Sri Lanka. The Islanders had entered the match under pressure after suffering a heavy 137-run defeat against Bangladesh in their opening game and needed a win to keep their tournament hopes alive.

Afghanistan's innings was built around a composed 72 from Rahmat Shah. Openers Mohammad Shahzad and Ihsanullah Janat provided an excellent start, contributing 34 and 45 respectively.

Shahzad and Janat added 57 runs for the opening wicket before Rahmat Shah joined Janat to put on another 50 for the second wicket. After the openers departed, Afghanistan continued to attack rather than allowing Sri Lanka to regain control.

Rahmat then combined with Hashmatullah Shahidi, who scored 37, for an important 80-run fourth-wicket partnership. Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera eventually broke the stand and finished with impressive figures of 5/55, but Afghanistan had already built a strong platform and finished just short of 250.

Sri Lanka's chase got off to a disastrous start when Kusal Mendis was dismissed for a duck in the opening over by teenage spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who finished with 2/32.

Upul Tharanga, who scored 36, and Dhananjaya de Silva, who made 23, briefly steadied the innings with a 54-run partnership. Their stand ended when de Silva was run out, triggering another collapse.

Sri Lanka slipped from 86/2 to 108/5 as Afghanistan's bowlers maintained relentless pressure. Captain Angelo Mathews scored 22 and Thisara Perera added 28, but neither could build a partnership capable of reviving the chase.

Afghanistan's spin attack proved decisive, with leg-spinner Rashid Khan taking 2/26 and Mujeeb claiming two wickets. Veteran off-spinner Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib also picked up two wickets each as Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 158.

The result ended Sri Lanka's campaign while giving Afghanistan a major boost ahead of the Super Fours. It also underlined the rapid progress of Afghanistan's young cricket team, particularly its formidable spin bowling unit.

Brief Scores: Afghanistan 249 (Rahmat Shah 72, Ihsanullah Janat 45, Hashmatullah Shahidi 37; Thisara Perera 5/55) beat Sri Lanka 158 (Upul Tharanga 36, Thisara Perera 28; Rashid Khan 2/26, Gulbadin Naib 2/29) by 91 runs.