Afghanistan performed a spectacular fightback to take a 1-0 lead over Sri Lanka and secure a spot in the ICC U19 World Cup 2022.
Even though they only set a goal of 135, an impressive game with the ball meant Suliman Safi’s team made it to the Super League quarter-finals.
A calm, late run at the crease of Dunith Wellalage, Sri Lanka’s captain, appeared for a moment to suggest he could pull his team across the finish line, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Afghanistan defeated the low-scoring game to make it to the fourth round, which was akin to their performance of the 2018 championship at New Zealand.
They will now take on England in their first Super League semi-final at the Sir Viv Richards Cricket Ground on the 1st of February.
The team of Wellalage chose to field following the winning of toss in the Coolidge Cricket Ground, and for the first few minutes, it wasn’t easy to judge which was the right choice or not.
Afghanistan first-innings Nangeyalia Kharote and Bilal Sayedi appeared to be in good form for the first ten innings before Traveeen Mathew struck with a devastating delivery that took out Sayedi.
Kharote was gone in the next over, and when captain Suliman Safi has trapped LBW after only making one delivery, Afghanistan was reeling.
Ijaz Ahmadzai dropped his wicket, but he did not affect the scoreboard; however, the middle order player Abdul Hadi held the ship in place with a crucial strike.
The left-handed batsman was at the crease as his team was in a slump, but He was able to get 37 runs, which included four boundaries before an excellent delivery by Dunith Wellalage smashed the ball.
Vinjua Ranpul then helped clear out the tail of Sri Lanka, ending with five wickets for only ten runs.
After he snatched Izharulhaq in Naveed’s hands, Afghanistan had been wiped out for 134 runs.
The Sri Lankan reply was on the uneven ground from the start. Opening batsman Sadisha Rajapaksa was bowled for an unbeaten duck in the first over, and substitute Shevon Daniel scored only two after being clear caught in the first over by Bilal Sami.
Following 13 runs, Sri Lanka was in a more dire position than Afghanistan during their innings.
Nor Ahmed then produced a brilliant delivery to take out Ranuda Somarathne, putting Sri Lanka in real trouble. At that point, the hopes of winning their first ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup were rapidly fading.
But the partnership of eight wickets with the captain Wellalage and Raveen de Silva appeared like it could help and take Sri Lanka from 43 runs for seven to 112.
Kharote was then the decisive catch of the captain, a poor player, and Naveed took his wicket from de Silva to set up a tense final.
Sri Lanka got to within five runs of winning; however, their fourth run-out of the innings resulted in Mathew the final wicket and gave Afghanistan the victory of a lifetime.
