Bangladesh qualify for super four as Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan
Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by six wickets to move into the Super Four. This result also confirmed Bangladesh’s place in the next stage.
Sri Lanka needed only 101 runs to qualify for the Super Four. Even if they lost the match, it would not have mattered much in terms of progression. But as the defending champions of the T20 Asia Cup, their target was to retain the title—and losing to Afghanistan was never an option.
At the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by six wickets to move into the Super Four. This result also confirmed Bangladesh's place in the next stage.
Chasing Afghanistan's 170-run target, Sri Lanka lost Pathum Nissanka (6) at 22 and Kamil Mishara (4) at 47. After that, the two Kushals—Mendis and Perera—came together. They added 45 runs off 36 balls. The stand was broken when Kusal Perera fell for 28 off 20 balls. But opener Kusal Mendis held firm at one end. He brought up his fifty off 40 balls and remained unbeaten on 74, hitting 10 fours in his 52-ball innings. Kamindu Mendis partnered him in a quickfire stand of 52 runs off 23 balls for the sixth wicket, contributing 26 from just 13 deliveries to seal an easy win for Sri Lanka.
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Earlier, Afghanistan posted 169 for 8 after opting to bat. At one stage, it seemed they might struggle to reach even 150, but Mohammad Nabi's late hitting lifted them to a competitive total. He smashed 60 off 22 balls with three fours and six sixes, striking at 172.72.
The innings got off to a poor start, with Afghanistan slipping to 40 for 3 inside five overs. Nuwan Thushara picked up all three wickets—Rahmanullah Gurbaz (14), Karim Janat (1) and Sediqullah Atal (18). Ibrahim Zadran and Darwish Rasooli attempted to rebuild, but Sri Lanka's tight bowling applied constant pressure. Skipper Dasun Shanaka conceded only eight runs from his two overs during that period.
Afghanistan were also frustrated by too many dot balls, reaching just 63 for 3 after 10 overs. Rasooli (9) then fell to a stunning boundary-line catch by Kusal Perera, while Ibrahim (24) was dismissed off another spectacular grab by Dushmantha Chameera. In between, Shanaka bowled Azmatullah Omarzai. Three wickets tumbled in three successive overs, reducing Afghanistan to 79 for 6.
From there, Nabi's explosive hitting gave Afghanistan a fighting chance, but it was not enough against Sri Lanka's batting depth.
Thushara was the most successful bowler, claiming 4 for 18.
