World Cup 2019: Five best tactical decisions in the first week

#1 Afghanistan's first-slip against Sri Lanka

Afghanistan v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Considering the lack of attention on the Afghanistan-Sri Lanka game and the eventual result, Mohammad Nabi's spell is likely to be forgotten fairly quickly. Which is a shame, considering how it flipped the game between the two Asian sides.

Consider this: Sri Lanka were cruising at 144-1 after 21 overs as Kusal Perera and Lahiru Thirmanne threatened to take the game away from Afghanistan. Commentators were openly talking about a possible score over 350 and how the game might help fix Sri Lanka's net run-rate after a horrible opening game against New Zealand.

Afghanistan had other ideas. Nabi first removed Thirimanne, to bring the dangerous Kusal Mendis to the crease. When most captains would have focused on containing two attacking batsmen like Perera and Mendis midway into the innings, Guldabin Naib chose to attack with a slip. It was a risk that many experienced captains with more ferocious bowling attacks would not have been willing to take at that stage in the innings.

Naib's decision to add a slip (Rahmat Shah) worked perfectly. Mendis played for non-existent turn and was caught by the safe hands of Shah. After two balls, the experienced Angelo Mathews made the same mistake and had to pay the same price. After one over, Nabi's guile and Naib's bravery had changed the game completely.

While a batting collapse prevented Afghanistan from scripting a famous victory, Naib's thoughtful aggression gave his team a chance. If the Afghan captain can continue to display similar tactical acumen, then perhaps the team will have more opportunities to spring an upset or two.