New Delhi: In a nail-biting showdown at Lahore's Gadaffi Stadium on Tuesday, Afghanistan faced a devastating elimination from the Asia Cup 2023. They fell short by just 2 runs against Sri Lanka in the final league match, and their hopes for a Super Fours berth were crushed in the most dramatic fashion.
Entering the fixture, Afghanistan knew that only a resounding victory could secure their passage to the Super Fours. With an inferior Net Run Rate compared to Sri Lanka, they needed a comprehensive win to join Group B table-toppers Bangladesh in the next stage.
The match began on a challenging note for Hashmatullah Shahidi's squad, as they conceded a formidable total of 291 runs after Sri Lanka's captain, Dasun Shanaka, elected to bat first on a placid Gadaffi pitch.
Afghanistan had to chase down this daunting target within 37.1 overs to advance to the Super Fours. The rapid half-centuries from Mohammad Nabi and Hashmatullah initially put Afghanistan on track for a historic victory. However, all their hard work unraveled due to a critical miscommunication and lack of awareness.
At 289 for 8 in 37 overs, according to the initial calculations, Afghanistan needed three runs off the first ball of the 38th over to qualify. However, Dhananjaya de Silva dismissed Mujeeb Ur Rahman on that delivery, and Rashid Khan at the non-striker's end thought Afghanistan had missed their chance at qualification.
Contrary to this belief, Afghanistan could have improved their Net Run Rate above Sri Lanka's if they reached 293 after 37.2 overs, 294 after 37.3, 295 after 37.5, 296 after 38 overs, or 297 after 38.1. These targets were attainable if the No. 11 batsman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, had hit a boundary on the second ball of the 38th over, a six on the third, fourth, or fifth ball, or rotated the strike to allow Rashid Khan an opportunity to finish the game.
Unfortunately, Farooqi was unaware of these scenarios and blocked two balls before being dismissed on the fourth delivery, leading to a disastrous conclusion to Afghanistan's Asia Cup campaign.
Afghanistan's head coach, Jonathan Trott, expressed frustration, claiming that the match officials failed to communicate the Net Run Rate permutations to his team. He stated, "We were never informed of those calculations. All we were told was that we needed to win in 37.1 overs. We weren't informed about the overs in which we could reach 295 or 297. The possibility of winning in 38.1 overs was never communicated to us."
After this heartbreaking defeat, Afghanistan returned home empty-handed, suffering two losses, while Sri Lanka smoothly sailed into the Super Fours with two wins out of two.
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