In a heroic lone-hand rescue, Afghanistan A captain Darwish Rasooli smashed a sensational 155 against Sri Lanka A on Tuesday (April 15) in the ongoing 50-over tri-series in Abu Dhabi.
Batting first in the tri-series' second match, Afghanistan lost both openers – Zubaid Akbari and Abdul Malik – in successive overs with no runs on the board. Left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka struck twice: first removing Akbari in the opening over, then dismissing No. 3 Sediqullah Atal for 1, reducing Afghanistan to 3-4.
Despite early hiccups, Afghanistan skipper Rasooli kept the scoreboard ticking even as wickets tumbled at the other end. He found modest support from wicketkeeper-batter Ikram Alikhil (32) and Ijaz Ahmad (35), but the rest of the lineup faltered. Undeterred, Rasooli played a lone hand, finishing with a 147-ball 155 – including eight sixes and eight fours. His knock accounted for 62.5 percent of Afghanistan’s total as they posted a competitive 248-8 in their 50 overs.
The moment the skipper, Darwish Rasooli, brought up his 8th List A Hundred! 💯💯
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) April 15, 2025
Terrific knock, captana! 👏#ExploreAfghanistan | #TriNationSeries | #SuperCola | #AFGvSL | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/ic22Irlw8d
While Rasooli's knock came in a List A match, his 62.5 percent contribution would have corresponded to tenth rank in the all-time list for percentage of runs in a completed ODI innings. The ODI record remains Viv Richards' unbeaten 189, which accounted for 69.48 percent of the West Indies' 272-9 against England at Manchester in 1984.
Afghanistan entered the match fresh from a dominant performance in their four-day unofficial Test against Ireland, the third team in the tri-series. Captain Rasooli had led his side to a massive 612-7 declared, headlined by Bahir Shah's 187 - a knock that reinforced his status among players with the highest first-class averages. Rasooli contributed a brisk 53 (65 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) from No. 4. Ireland, dismissed for 309 and forced to follow-on, collapsed for 109 in their second innings to suffer an innings-and-194-run defeat.
Image credit: X/ACBofficials
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