Sri Lanka have qualified for the Super Fours of the 2023 Asia Cup, after defending 291 runs and eliminating Afghanistan in the process in a thriller at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore today (September 5).
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Having lost their first game against Bangladesh, Afghanistan came into this match needing a big victory to leapfrog the net run rates of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. For Sri Lanka, even a narrow defeat would have sufficed to go through.
The mid-innings net run rate permutations showed that Afghanistan needed to chase down the 292-run target in 37.1 overs (38.1 if they finished with a six after tying the scores) to qualify for the Super Fours, implying they needed to go at almost eight runs per over.
Chasing 292, Afghanistan started in poor fashion. Their two lynchpins at the top, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, were both dismissed for single-digit scores. The middle order then came to the party. Naib, promoted to No.3, played a 16-ball cameo for 22.
Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi hit 45 and 59 respectively, adding 71 runs for the fourth wicket. However, the innings of the night came off the bat of Mohammad Nabi.
With this win, Sri Lanka have booked their place in the Super Fours of the 2023 Asia Cup alongside Bangladesh from Group B.
