“RIP Sri Lanka Cricket” – Fans erupt as Afghanistan thrash Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in 2023 World Cup

A clinical all-round performance helped Afghanistan thrash Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the 2023 World Cup match at MCA Stadium in Pune on Monday, October 30.

Chasing 242, Afghanistan got off to the worst possible start as Dilshan Madushanka dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a four-ball duck. Ibrahim Zadran (39 runs off 57 balls) and Rahmat Shah (62 off 74 deliveries) then shared a 73-run partnership for the second wicket.

Then, Azmatullah Omarzai (73* off 63) and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (58* off 74) took the team past the finish line with 4.4 overs to spare.

Madushanka emerged as the pick of the Lanka bowlers, returning with figures of 2/48, while Kasun Rajitha took a solitary wicket.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 241 after being asked to bat first. Pathum Nissanka top-scored with 46 off 60, while skipper Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama chipped in with scores of 39 (50) and 36 (40), respectively.

Fazalhaq Farooqi starred with the ball, finishing with exceptional figures of 4/34, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked up two wickets. Azmatullah and Rashid Khan settled for one wicket apiece.

Fans on X trolled Sri Lanka for their below-par performance against Afghanistan. One user wrote:

Here are some more reactions:

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“We didn’t do enough with the bat” – Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis on his team’s loss against Afghanistan in World Cup

Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis held the batting unit responsible for his team’s loss against Afghanistan. The wicketkeeper-batter said that the team should have reached at least 280-300 since dew plays a part in the second innings. At the post-match conference, he said:

“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.”

Kusal Mendis-led side are currently placed sixth in the World Cup points table with four points in six games. They must win their remaining three games to keep their hopes of securing a place in the semifinals.

Sri Lanka’s remaining World Cup matches

November 2: vs India at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai at 2 pm IST

November 6: vs Bangladesh at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi at 2 pm IST

November 9: vs New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru at 2 pm IST