SL vs AFG, World Cup 2023 Match 30: Awards List, Man of The Match, Key Stats, Presentation Ceremony

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Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in the ICC World Cup 2023 Match 30 on Monday (October 30) at the MCA stadium in Pune.

It was a fantastic performance from the Afghan side, who have now won consecutive matches in the tournament. They beat Pakistan in the last match and now after beating Sri Lanka, keep their semifinal hopes alive. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have suffered a damaging defeat and are on the brink of elimination.

Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, World Cup 2023

Choosing to bowl first, Afghanistan kept Sri Lanka to a score of 241 runs. The Lankan batsmen struggled, as none managed to build significant runs after early starts. Fazalhaq Farooqi caused major damage by claiming four wickets in a fantastic bowling performance, wrecking the backbone of the Lankan batting line-up.

In their retort, Afghanistan faced an early loss with Rahmanullah Gurbaz exiting promptly. However, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah laid a strong foundation with scores of 39 and 62 respectively. Following their dismissal, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai successfully lead Afghanistan to victory.

The pair by means of an unbeaten 4th wicket partnership of 111 runs, enabled their team to clinch the win convincingly. Omarzai, scoring an undefeated 73 and Shahidi also contributed a fifty, remaining unbeaten. This impressive performance led to Afghanistan beating Sri Lanka by seven wickets, with 28 balls still remaining in the game.

Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan World Cup 2023: Awards List

Man of the Match: Fazalhaq Farooqi of Afghanistan for his bowling figures of 4/34.

"Thanks to the Almighty, nice to have 3 wins in the tournament, happy to have contributed to the team win. I was looking for swing with the new ball, but I didn't get it, so I just kept it simple, hit the right areas, didn't want to concede boundaries and that's how I succeeded. We conceded too many runs in the last few overs (in the previous matches), we put in the hard yards in the nets, bowling with accuracy and trying out as many variations as possible. That's exactly what we went out and did in the match today."

Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan: What Captains Said

Kusal Mendis | Sri Lanka Captain: We didn't do enough with the bat. 300 or maybe 280 would have been sufficient, but not to be. Bowlers have done well in the first 10 overs and the dew has come in little bit and then it became a little hard to bowl the spinners. Actually there was dew today and the ball came on to the bat nicely in the second innings. Dilshan Madushanka has done really well, in the first couple of games as well and hope he will continue his form going forward.

Hashmatullah Shahidi | Afghanistan Captain: Quite happy and proud of the team. Happy for the way we performed in all 3 departments. Last game gave us lot of confidence and belief that we can chase any kind of target. It was a very professional performance from the bowlers today. All the coaching and managing staff are working hard and giving us confidence. Rashid Khan is a special player and the best player in the world. He (Rashid Khan) is a very energetic guy and always keeps the team very lively. I want to congratulate all the Afghanistan supporters and especially want to thank the Indian fans for coming out and supporting us.

Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Key Stats

• Afghanistan have now won consecutive World Cup matches for the first time in their history.
  
  
• Sri Lanka now have lost 43 matches in World Cups, the most by any country.
  
  
• Azmatullah Omarzai's unbeaten 73 is the highest score by an Afghanistan batter when batting at no.5 or lower.
  
  
• Afghanistan managed just 1 World Cup victory in 17 matches, they have won three in their last 4 matches.