Afghanistan is officially out of the semifinal race of the T20 World Cup 2022 now. By losing against Sri Lanka by six wickets, the Afghans are now out of the tournament. On the flip side, Sri Lanka still remains mathematically in the semis race with one game remaining in its hand.
While batting first, Afghanistan got a good start from its openers Gurbaz (28) and Ghani (27). Both of them made a partnership of 42 runs for the first wicket. The one-down batter Ibrahim Zaran (22) also showed intent while batting. But apart from the top three batters, no one could perform well for Afghanistan. On the flip side, Sri Lankan bowlers restricted the opponents from scoring a big total by scalping wickets at regular intervals. Especially, Wanindu Hasaranga (3/13) and Lahiru Kumara (2/30) have impressed with the ball. Eventually, Afghanistan ended its innings with a score of 144/8.
Sri Lanka got a couple of early blows while chasing this low total. Openers Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka got out without making an impact. However, Dhananjaya de Silva (66* off 42 balls) and Charith Asalanka’s (19) 54-run partnership put Sri Lanka in a dominant position. After Asalanka got out, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (18) gave good support to Dhananjaya. In the process, Dhananjaya completed his half-century and successfully delivered a win for his team. Sri Lanka scored 148/4 in 18.3 overs.
Sri Lanka will play its last game against England on November 5. Afghanistan will play its final game against Australia on November 4.
