Asian Games 2023: Afghanistan dumps defending champion Sri Lanka to enter semifinal

Gulbadin Naib and Qais Ahmad grabbed three wickets apiece as battling Afghanistan beat defending champion Sri Lanka by eight runs on Wednesday to e book an Asian Games semifinal towards Pakistan.

After being despatched in to bat, the Afghans had been dismissed for simply 116 within the nineteenth over on a Hangzhou pitch providing tempo, sharp flip and fierce bounce.

Seamer Nuwan Thushara bagged 4-17 with Noor Ali Zadran’s 51 the one resistance.

Sri Lanka’s goal seemed gettable, however it blew the run chase with skilled fast Naib’s 3-28 and younger leg-spinner Ahmad’s 3-16 doing the injury because it was bundled out for 108.

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T20 cricket has been performed on the Asian Games twice earlier than, at Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014, with Afghanistan runners-up each occasions, to Bangladesh after which Sri Lanka.

They introduced a number of top-flight gamers to China, together with hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Shahzad and all-rounder Naib.

Thushara, who made his debut towards Australia in Sydney final 12 months, struck along with his first ball, bowling opener Sediqullah Atal for one.

Shahzad (20) and Zadran steadied the ship and placed on 54 for the subsequent wicket. But when Shahidullah (23) grew to become the third man down, the flood gates opened with eight wickets falling for twenty-four and not one of the final seven batters getting out of single figures.

The uneven pitch additionally proved an issue although for Sri Lanka, with boundaries arduous to come back by and no-one capable of get going.

Teenage opener Shevon Daniel is tipped as a rising star, however on his T20 debut he solely managed 9, with Naib inflicting issues for the highest order.

Ahmad’s leg-spin then helped scale back Sri Lanka to 78-7 and when captain Sahan Arachchige was run out for 22, it was flailing on 84-8 and there was no method again.

Bangladesh takes on Malaysia within the different quarterfinal on Wednesday with the winner assembly India for a spot within the closing.