ODI World Cup 2023: Afghanistan continue their semi-final dream, defeat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets

Afghanistan cricket team is moving in the right direction towards their goal of qualifying for the semi-final stages with a top-four finish in sight. They are eagerly knocking on the doors of a top-four finish with a crucial win in the bag against Sri Lanka.

Team Newsable

First Published Oct 30, 2023, 9:55 PM IST | Last Updated Oct 30, 2023, 10:01 PM IST

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and made the right decision to bowl first. The conditions were perfect for a chase as batting under lights became easy even due to the dew factor. Sri Lanka had a challenging start as their top order failed to influence the first spell.

Dimuth Karunaratne was the first of the pack to get dismissed for 15 runs. Pathum Nissanka played well and scored 46 runs from 60 balls. Kusal Mendis scored 39 runs while Sadeera Samarawickrama put up 36 runs from 40 balls. Most of the Lankan batters got a good start but they couldn't convert them into big scores.

This is where Sri Lanka struggled and at one stage they were at 185 runs with a loss of seven wickets. This was far from an ideal position for Sri Lanka but Maheesh Theekshana's and Angelo Mathews' contribution with the bat in the end took Sri Lanka to a score of 241 runs in 49.3 overs.

Fazalhaq Farooqi did very well in the bowling department by picking four wickets. Mujeeb Ur Rahman took 2 wickets in 10 overs. Afghanistan's batting lineup had to go through a challenge in the beginning as Rahmanullah Gurbaz was out for a duck.

Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah put up a 72-run partnership for the second wicket. This gave some respite to the Afghanistan management. Rahmat Shah was dismissed for 62 runs while Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai also played extremely well and with caution.

The duo struck an unbeaten 111-run partnership that helped Afghanistan win the ODI World Cup 2023 match by seven wickets. Azmatullah Omarzai scored 73 runs off 63 balls continuing his excellent run in the World Cup so far.

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