Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai put on an impressive unbeaten 111-run fourth wicket partnership to lead Afghanistan to a convincing 7-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in ICC Men’s 50 Over Cricket World Cup held in Pune yesterday.
This win marks the first time Afghanistan has secured back-to-back victories in a World Cup, placing them in the 5th position on the ICC World Cup table with 6 points in hand.
Afghanistan’s bowlers displayed excellent composure and discipline after winning the toss and taking the initiative to bowl. Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s two crucial wickets of Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama stopped the Sri Lankan top order from taking off, while Rashid Khan celebrated his 100th ODI by dismissing Dhananjaya De Silva and Omarzai dismissed Pathum Nissanka four runs shy of a half century.
However, it was fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi who took the Sri Lankans by storm, picking up four crucial wickets to help bundle out the Lions. He bowled Afghanistan’s best World Cup figures by a paceman to date, taking out Dimuth Karunaratne, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, and Maheesh Theekshana to finish his 10 overs with 4 wickets for 34 runs. Afghanistan’s collective bowling efforts and two pinpoint run outs restricted the Lions to a score of 241 by the 49th over, laying the foundation for a relatively easy run chase.
Afghanistan was taken back early in the chase, losing opening batsman Rahmunallah Gurbaz in the first over to Dilshan Madushanka, but fought back and took their time doing it. They stitched together a crucial partnership to pull themselves out of troubled waters, courtesy of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah. The pair accelerated the innings by contributing 73 runs for the second wicket, before being dismissed by Madushanka and Rajitha.
It was then Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai who rose to the occasion, chasing down the remaining runs for the Afghans with a patient unbroken 111-run partnership, ending the match with 28 balls to spare and 7 wickets in hand. Rahmat Shah ended his count at the crease with an important 68 run contribution, while Azmatullah Omarzai remained unbeaten on 73 off 63 deliveries, smashing 6 fours and 3 sixes, coolly assisted by his skipper Shahidi who ended unbeaten on 58.
With three wins out of six games in the ICC Men’s World Cup, Afghanistan have defied expectations for an inexperienced nation and shown resilience and resourcefulness in all aspects of the game. Their batting and bowling have been consistent and since the start of the tournament have seen a significant improvement in the field. Currently occupying the 5th position, Afghanistan will now aim to maintain this momentum and hope that some of the top four teams stumble in their upcoming fixtures, in order to secure a Semi-Final spot themselves.
Chief Scores:
Sri Lanka – 241 for 10 in 49.3 Overs (Pathum Nissanka 46, Kusal Mendis 39, Sadeera Samarawickrama 36, Fazalhaq Farooqi 4 for 34, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2 for 38, Azmatullah Omarzai 1 for 37)
Afghanistan – 242 for 3 in 45.2 Overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 73*, Rahmat Shah 62, Hashmatullah Shahidi 58*, Dilshan Madushanka 2 for 48, Kasun Rajitha 1 for 48, Angelo Mathews 0 for 18)
