Sharjah 3rd September : A superb attack by Rahmanullah Gurbaz (84 off 45) helped propel Afghanistan to a formidable 175/6 in 20 overs against Sri Lanka in a Super Four match of the Asia Cup 2022 at the Sharjah International Stadium in Sharjah, on Saturday.In addition to Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran also made an impactful bowl (40 off 38) for Afghanistan who would have been hoping for a dazzling end, however they were unable to pick up wickets in an enclave in the final few overs.
The batsmen were first to bat, Afghanistan were off to an impressive start scoring 49/1 in the powerplay.
As Gurbaz was in an attacking mode and was responsible for the majority of the scoring, Hazratullah Zazai was not in a position to find any consistency throughout his innings.
Zazai finally played to the length of the delivery before being cleanly bowled by the bowler for 13 off 16 in the 5th over.
In spite of the powerplay, Gurbaz continued his attacking determination and scored his fifty in 22 balls.
He was able to play in Zadran and kept the scoreboard moving for Afghanistan.
Both Gurbaz and Zadran produced the standing of an impressive 93 runs to take the second wicket.
When Gurbaz was out in the 16th over Afghanistan were at 139-2 and appeared to be set for a solid end.
However they were unable to take the wickets of Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (1) and Najibullah Zadran (17) in the 17th and 18th overs, respectively.Rashid Khan (9) managed to score the six in the final over and brought Afghanistan up to 175-6 in 20 overs.
Dilshan Madushanka (2/37), Maheesh Theekshana (1/29) and Asitha Fernando (1/34) were the wicket takers for Sri Lanka.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 175-6 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 84, Ibrahim Zadran 40, Dilshan Madushanka 2/37) vs Sri Lanka
avn/bsk
