Asia Cup 2018: Afghanistan thrash Sri Lanka by 91 runs, knock them out of tournament

Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka in the Group B match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

Image courtesy: Twitter/@ICC

Afghanistan thrashed Sri Lanka by 91 runs and knocked them out of the tournament in the Group B match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

Afghanistan has made a comeback as they have previously lost two ODIs against Sri Lanka. 

Follow the match highlights here:

# Sri Lanka all out for 158.

# WICKET!  Final one for Afghanistan as Malinga was bowled lbw by Rashid. The match ends for Sri Lanka here.

# Dushmantha Chameera is in at eleven. 

# WICKET!! Pressure mounting Sri Lanka as Perera is dismissed by Naib. This is also the second wicket for Naib.

# Sri Lanka 153/8 after 39 overs! Sri Lanka need 97 runs in 66 balls.

# Lasith Malinga is in at ten.

# WICKET!! There goes another one for Sri Lanka. Dananjaya is bowled by Nabi. What a game it is turning out to be for Afghanistan. 

# Sri Lanka 149/7 after 37 overs. Sri Lanka need 101 runs in 78 balls.

# Akila Dananjaya is in at nine.

# WICKET!! Another one. Chances for Sri Lanka get grim. Shanaka was bowled out by Mujeeb. Sri Lanka under immense pressure now.

# Dasun Shanaka is in at eight.

# WICKET!! It was Mathews turn this time on Nabi's delivery. The skipper departs after getting caught out by Rashid.

# Thisara Perera is in at seven.

# WICKET! Poor running between the wickets grant another one to Afghanistan. Jayasuriya run-out on Mujeeb'sdeliveryy.

# Sri Lanka 107/4 after 27 overs!

# Sri Lanka touch 100 run mark. The Lions will need a strong partnership to pull this off now. Sri Lanka need 149 runs to win the match.

# Shehan Jayasuriya is in at six.

# WICKET!! Another one goes! This time it is Tharanga! Naib grabs this one for Afghanistan. Situation becoming grim for Sri Lanka here.

# Angelo Mathews is in at five.

# SriLanka 88/3 after 20 overs.

# WICKET!! Sri Lanka lose it one at a time! Perera dismissed by Rashid Khan. Sri Lanka losing its pace and failing to maintain stability.  

# With wickets still in hand, Sri Lanka will have to look for an opportunity to revive the situation and the batsmen will have to be firm on the crease, dodging Afghanistan's bowlers and making space for boundaries. 

Chaos! Mix-up in the middle with miscommunication for the second run! Tharanga and Dhananjaya both end up at the striker's end, bails whipped off by Shahzad. Ball fired to Naib at the other end, but he falls over onto the stumps before claiming the ball! #Asiacup2018 https://t.co/jxZVL5Jtki

— ICC (@ICC) September 17, 2018

# Sri Lanka 56/2 after 14 overs!

# Kusal Perera is in at four.

# WICKET!! Just when Sri Lanka had started gaining back the balance, D de Silva was run out by on Naib's delivery. 

# De Silva and Tharanga bring a stable situation for Sri Lanka after an early wicket. Afghanistan's bowlers are eyeing more wickets while the Sri Lankans will have to maintain a more stable pace in order to survive the match.

# Sri Lanka 27/1 after seven overs.

#  Afghanistan has shaken Sri Lanka's confidence after dismissing Medis early off. The Lions will now have to find a way to make a comeback. Afghanistan, meanwhile, gain more confidence.

# Sri Lanka 4/1 after two overs.

# Dhananjaya de Silva is in at three.

# WICKET! Mendis dismissed by Mujeeb Ur Rahman on the second ball. What a start for Afghanistan!!

# Kusal Mendis and Upul Tharanga open the innings for Sri Lanka.

Congratulations to @PereraThisara for his fourth ODI five-wicket haul! #SLvAFG #AsiaCup2018 pic.twitter.com/EMABibSFZc

— ICC (@ICC) September 17, 2018

# Break

# Afghanistan 249 all-out!

# WICKET!! Perera takes one on the last ball as well. He is shining today with his performance. Muneeb's wicket adds 5th one for Perera in the innings! The match completely turned in Sri Lanka's favor towards the end.

# Mujeeb Ur Rahman is in at 11.

# WICKET!! With two balls remaining in the innings, Rashid is dismissed by Perera!

# Aftab Alam is in at ten!

# WICKET!! Sri Lanka eyeing an all-out situation for Afghanistan as they dismiss another one! Third one for Perera as he dismisses Naib, caught by Dananjaya!

# Afghanistan 229/7 after 48 overs.

# Rashid Khan is in at nine!

# WICKET!! Sri Lanka are taking it back from Afghanistan as they dismiss another one. Najibullah dismissed this time by Perera.

# Gulbadin Naib is in at eight!

# WICKET!! This is what quick wickets look like! Malinga opens the account and gets Nabi's wicket, caught by Perera. Malinga has been unlucky today as he missed quite a few chances of getting wickets but with he breaks the jinx with Nabi's wicket.

# Afghanistan 219/5 after 46 overs!

# Najibullah Zadran is in at seven.

# WICKET!! This is what Sri Lanka was looking for! Shahidi dismissed by Perera this time. Shahidi clean bowled by Parera. 

# Mohammad Nabi is in at six. 

# WICKET!! Rahmat dismissed by Chameera, caught by Perera. This was a much-needed wicket for Sri Lanka and an amazing score by Afghanistan's Rahmat. Rahmat dismissed at 72 runs. 

# Rahmat and Hashmatullah builds more pressure on Sri Lanka as they go strong with a partnership of 73 run off 84 balls after 40 overs. With 10 more overs to go in the innings, Sri Lanka will really have to create an impact in the game by taking quick wickets like before. 

# Afghanistan 156/3 after 35 overs.

Rahmat Shah brings up his half-century off 63 balls! With 15 overs to go, Afghanistan are 156/3 - what should they be targeting from here?#SLvAFG LIVE https://t.co/CQYBAm3Hvr#AsiaCup2018 pic.twitter.com/vOPgfEY2Nz

— ICC (@ICC) September 17, 2018

#  Rahmat completes half-century and is looking to steer Afghanistan towards a decent target score. With around 15 overs remaining before the Afghanistan innings come to an end, the batsmen look forward to maintaining a good partnership. Sri Lankan pacers, on the other hand, eye another wicket to shake Afghanistan's confidence. The match has not given much to Malinga as he is yet to get a wicket.

# Hashmatullah Shahidi is in at five.

# WICKET!! Sri Lanka gain pace by dismissing another one! This time it is the skipper Afghan lbw out by Jayasuriya!

Asghar Afghan is in at four. 

# Afghanistan 109/2 after 25 overs.

# WICKET!! Afghanistan lose their second one as Ihsanullah is dismissed by Akila Dananjaya. This is the second one for Danajaya and Sri Lanka will have to grab wickets at this pace. Good decision making by Sri Lankan captain to go for the review as the original decision was NOT OUT.

# Afghanistan undeterred after losing the first wicket. Sri Lankan pacers try hard to break the batsmen's spirit but the Afghanistan complete 100 run mark. Malinga is still to take a wicket in the match. 

# Rahmat Shah is in at three.

# Afghanistan 60/1 after 12 overs!

# WICKET!! Shahzad dismissed by Akila Dananjaya. The Lions grab their first wicket after Shahzad was given lbw. Nevertheless, this has been a good start for Afghanistan as it is the first time in Asia Cup that Afghanistan had not lost a wicket in the power play.

# Afghanistan's batsmen have certainly maintained a good partnership but will have to play cautiously against Sri Lankan pacers. Bowlers Chameera and Perera are analysing the shots and eye for a wicket early on in the match.

# Afghanistan 32/0 after 7 overs!

# Afghanistan is on to a good start with Shahzad and Janat making space for boundaries whenever possible.

# Mohammad Shahzad and Ihsanullah Janat open the innings for Afghanistan.

It's a must win for Sri Lanka today in Abu Dhabi, while Afghanistan begin their campaign and look to start with a victory, and have won the toss and bat first. Who are you backing?#SLvAFG LIVE https://t.co/CQYBAlM66R#AsiaCup2018 pic.twitter.com/rI16WP9wH4

— ICC (@ICC) September 17, 2018

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Shahzad(w/c), Ihsanullah Janat, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera(w/c), Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews(c), Dasun Shanaka, Thisara Perera, Shehan Jayasuriya, Akila Dananjaya, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera

# Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is up against Afghanistan for the third match in Asia Cup 2018. Afghanistan have lost the last two ODIs against Sri Lanka and the Lions are caught in a must-win situation after their previous match against Bangladesh. Lasith Malinga took four wickets on his comeback on Saturday but could not bring the match in his team's favor. 

Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan has made it clear that his team is not here just to participate in the upcoming Asia Cup, but are looking to put up a solid performance in the tournament. The 30-year-old further stated that they are hopeful of doing well against the island nation. Afghan is confident their his team can take on the Lions. 

Squad: 

Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera (wk), Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Thisara Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Amila Aponso, Lasith Malinga, Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananjaya 

Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Asghar Afghan (c), Ihsanullah Janat, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Javed Ahmadi, Samiullah Shenwari, Munir Ahmad, Sayed Shirzad, Sharafuddin Ashraf