AFG vs SL, Asia Cup 2025: Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan and take Bangladesh with them into Super Fours

Sri Lanka secured a comfortable 6-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the 11th match of the Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 at Abu Dhabi, chasing down a target of 170 with 8 balls to spare. With this win, they have qualified for the Super Four and have also helped Bangladesh qualify.

What happened?

Afghanistan posted a competitive total of 169 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks largely to a remarkable cameo from Mohammad Nabi.

Nabi's explosive 60 off just 22 balls, which included 3 fours and 6 sixes, dramatically lifted the Afghan innings after a shaky start. Afghanistan lost early wickets, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz (14 off 8 balls), Karim Janat (1 off 3), and Sediqullah Atal (18 off 14) falling cheaply under pressure from Sri Lanka’s pacer Nuwan Thushara, who picked up 4 wickets for 18 runs in his four overs.

Despite these early blows, Ibrahim Zadran (24 off 27) and Rashid Khan (24 off 23) tried to stabilize the innings, but the Afghan captain fell well short of taking the side to a challenging total.

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In response, Sri Lanka lost the wicket of Pathum Nissanka early, but Kusal Mendis anchored the chase superbly with a well-paced 74 off 52 deliveries, demonstrating excellent control and timing.

Mendis struck 10 fours and maintained a strike rate above 140. His partnership with Kusal Perera, who scored 28 off 20, steadied the innings after the early loss of Nissanka.

The Sri Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka added a valuable 17 off 12 balls to push the required rate down.

Kamindu Mendis contributed with a quickfire 26 not out off 13 balls towards the end to seal the deal for Sri Lanka. Despite some timely wickets from Afghanistan’s bowlers, including Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi, Sri Lanka’s solid top-order and effective partnerships ensured a steady climb to the target.