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Asia Cup Qualifier: Afghanistan Triumph Over Sri Lanka

Asia Cup Qualifier: Afghanistan Triumph Over Sri Lanka

28 May 2025

Asia Cup Qualifier: Afghanistan Triumph Over Sri Lanka

In a nail-biting qualifier on May 28, 2025 in Sharjah, Afghanistan chased down a target of 270 with just 3 balls to spare, defeating Sri Lanka by 2 wickets to secure their spot in the upcoming Asia Cup.

Sri Lanka innings:

  • Fifties from Kusal Mendis (75) and Angelo Mathews (68) powered Sri Lanka to 269/7.
  • Spin dominance: Left-arm spinner Fazalhaq Farooqi conceded only 42 runs in his four overs, taking 2 key wickets.

Afghan chase:

  • Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s blistering 82 set the tone, but he fell at 50.
  • Mohammad Nabi’s maturity (45 off 38 balls) steadied the innings in the middle overs.
  • Najibullah Zadran (37 off 20 balls)* sealed the victory with two consecutive sixes in the 49th over.

“We believed until the last ball,” said captain Rashid Khan. “This win shows our growth on big stages.”

Afghanistan now advances to the Asia Cup 2025 group stage, where they’ll be joined by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and host Sri Lanka.