Sri Lanka dump Afghanistan out of Asia Cup with six-wicket win

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Afghanistan’s 2025 Asia Cup tally ended astatine the radical signifier pursuing a six-wicket decision by Sri Lanka successful Abu Dhabi.

Published On 18 Sep 2025

Sri Lanka roared to a six-wicket triumph successful Abu Dhabi to destruct 2024 T20 World Cup semifinalist Afghanistan from the Asia Cup.

Sri Lanka topped Group B with its 3rd consecutive triumph arsenic Bangladesh besides qualified for the Super 4 up of Afghanistan with 2 wins and a loss.

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Opening batter Kusal Mendis’s unbeaten 74 disconnected 52 balls anchored Sri Lanka’s authoritative run-chase of 171-4 connected Thursday against spin-heavy Afghanistan with much than an implicit to spare.

Mohammad Nabi’s (60) 5 large sixes against spinner Dunith Wellalage successful the last implicit provided Afghanistan anticipation arsenic they posted 169-8 aft skipper Rashid Khan won the flip and elected to bat.

Mendis neutralised the rotation trio with his well-executed expanse shots. Wrist spinner Noor Ahmad went for 1-37 disconnected his 3 overs successful a uncommon costly T20 figures for the left-arm spinner. Rashid besides couldn’t penetrate done the defences of Mendis successful a quiescent mediate overs to instrumentality with 0-23 disconnected his 4 overs.

Nabi (1-20) got the wicket successful the powerplay erstwhile Kamil Mishra chipped a debased drawback into the covers earlier Mendis and Kusal Perera (28) enactment the pursuit backmost connected way with a 45-run stand.

Captain Charith Asalanka made 17 disconnected 12 balls earlier Kamindu Mendis (26 not out) and Kusal countercharged Ahmad and accelerated bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi (0-38) successful the decease overs.

“We did not vessel arsenic good arsenic we should have, and that is wherefore we did not win,” Rashid said.

“We had a large accidental successful the past crippled [against Bangladesh]; we did not pursuit 150. We had a semifinal astatine the past T20 World Cup, and the anticipation [here] was to beryllium astatine slightest successful the adjacent round. We volition deliberation astir it, analyse and travel backmost stronger.”

Nuwan Thushara (4-18) polished disconnected Afghanistan’s top-order with 3 wickets wrong the powerplay that included 2 immaculate inswingers that rattled the stumps of Sediqullah Atal (18) and Karim Jannat (1).

Ibrahim Zadran laboured for 27 balls to people 24, and erstwhile Rashid was cleanable bowled by different Thushara ball, Afghanistan slipped to 114-7 successful 17.1 overs.

Sri Lanka was outstanding successful the tract to restrict Afghanistan batters up until the 18th over, with Kusal Perera pulling disconnected outstanding catches of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and a juggling drawback connected the borderline of the bound to disregard Darwish Rasooli.

But Sri Lanka got scratchy precocious successful the innings erstwhile Wellalage should person caught Nabi connected 6 earlier the all-rounder played an unthinkable sound disconnected conscionable 22 balls with his precocious onslaught.

Nabi scored 46 of the 49 runs Afghanistan made successful the past 2 overs arsenic helium archetypal smacked Dushmantha Chameera (1-50) for 3 successive boundaries successful the penultimate implicit and past unleashed almighty hitting against Wellalage erstwhile helium smacked the spinner’s archetypal 5 morganatic deliveries successful the last implicit for sixes earlier getting tally retired disconnected the last ball.

“I americium truly pleased with the show today, it was astir a cleanable crippled for us,” Asalanka said. “Up front, pacers doing their occupation and lone 1 clip we got it incorrect – the past over. But isolated from that, we did a bully job.”

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