Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka Won Match But Afghanistan Won Respect

In yesterday’s match of Asia Cup 2023, between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, both teams were able to give a phenomenal performance. It was definitely one of the most competitive matches that has happened in the near future. Afghanistan went on to score a brilliant 289 runs however, they missed the target of 292. But there is no doubt that they won the respect, and they have shown their intentions of being a fighter team. This match proves that like Bangladesh, Afghanistan is also a team that can cause damage to other teams, it doesn’t matter how big the stature of that team is. 

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How did Afghanistan surprise everyone? 

Afghanistan was able to surprise everyone through the brilliant performance that was given by their batting unit. They scored a brilliant 289 runs, in only 37.4 overs. If they had gone on to win the match, then that could have been one of the best chassis for Afghanistan. 

• In the first innings, it was Sri Lanka who batted first. They looked in sublime touch, because of the top three batters. All of them went on to score brilliantly as a unit. It was Pathum Nissanka, Karunaratne, who gave a good start of 63 runs in 10.2 overs. This partnership was able to put pressure on the bowlers of Afghanistan. 
• For the 3rd wicket, Kusal Mendis formed a partnership with Nissanka, however, this partnership didn’t work for long. But the knock of Mendis was crucial for the Sri Lankan team. They set a target of 291 runs.
• In response, Afghanistan followed the strategy of playing quick cricket to put pressure on the bowlers of Sri Lanka. They didn’t get the start they were hoping to get, but they were able to maintain a fine run rate. 
• The score was 50 for 3, and that is when the first good partnership happened between Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi. They took the score to 
• The next partnership for 5th wicket was a good one too, and that took the score to 201. 

However, after the 5th wicket partnership, there were no such big partnerships for Afghanistan. Eventually, Sri Lanka won this match of Asia Cup 2023 by 2 runs.