Kusal Mendis strikes form as Sri Lanka knock Afghanistan out of Asia Cup

• Bangladesh qualify with Sri Lanka for Super Four

ABU DHABI: Sri Lanka’s wicket-keeper/batsman Kusal Mendis found form just as the Super Four is dawning, guiding his team to a six-wicket win against Afghanistan in the final Group B match of the Asia Cup, played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium here yesterday.

In a tricky run chase, the opener top-scored with 74* off 52 balls (10 fours), as Sri Lanka chased down Afghanistan’s total of 169-8 to win with 8 balls to spare. The win for Sri Lanka meant that they topped Group B with three wins and qualified for the Super Four with Bangladesh, who ended up second with two wins. Afghanistan was knocked out of the tournament after yesterday’s defeat.

When Sri Lanka began their run chase, their first objective was to get to a score of 101, which would give them qualification for the next stage. When Charith Asalanka crashed Rashid Khan through the covers for four in the 13th over, Sri Lanka went past that score, after which Player of the Match Kusal Mendis, joined by Kamindu Mendis, carried the team to victory with an unbroken stand of 52 off 23 balls.

It was a well-calculated run chase, where the team with the greater experience and better cricketing smarts outwitted a spirited challenger. Sri Lanka lost their in-form batsman Pathum Nissanka early, and Kamil Mishara too was dismissed cheaply. It was left to Kusal Mendis to take the mantle on himself as he anchored and carried the bat for his side.

Kusal Perera, Asalanka, and Kamindu Mendis played handy cameos, as they attacked the Afghanistan bowlers, allowing Kusal Mendis to build an innings around them. Afghanistan had their chances, but they lacked some discipline with the ball and the fielding was a bit wayward. That has come to cost them dearly. 

During the Afghanistan innings, both Dushmantha Chameera and Dunith Wellalage, drafted into the side for his first game ahead of Maheesh Theekshana, had an off day, conceding a total of 99 runs off their 8 overs. It proved quite costly, especially in the latter stages of the Afghanistan innings, where 49 runs were smashed in the last two overs, out of which 32 came of the final over bowled by Wellalage – the second-most expensive over for Sri Lanka in T20Is after 36 by Akila Dananjaya (6 sixes) by Kieron Pollard at Antigua in 2021.

The turning point was when Mohammad Nabi was dropped at five by Wellalage at deep backward square leg off Chameera, and what a difference it made to Afghanistan’s final total. Nabi made Sri Lanka pay dearly for that lapse by hammering five sixes to bring up his 50 off just 20 balls to equal Azmatullah Omarzai’s record against Hong Kong China in the present tournament at the same venue. At that stage, Afghanistan were reeling at 106-6 in the 17th over, with Nuwan Thushara having ripped off their top order as he picked three wickets in the powerplay to give Sri Lanka the upper hand. The rest of the bowlers continued the good work and reduced Afghanistan to 79-6, but all that came crashing down in the last two overs bowled by Chameera and Wellalage.

Nabi, the longest surviving player in this Afghanistan side at 40, used all his experience of 16 years. He bided his time playing second fiddle to his Captain Rashid Khan, who started the counter-attack, before pouncing on the moment to make a statement which only he can.

Thushara, with figures of 4/18, became the third Sri Lankan bowler to bag a four-fer in the Asia Cup T20 version after Lasith Malinga (4/26 vs. UAE, Mirpur, 2016) and Pramod Madushan (4/34 vs. Pakistan, Dubai, 2022 final).