Allah Ghazanfar, who has already played 5 ODIs for Afghanistan, won the Player of the Match in the Final.
After upstaging tournament favourites India ‘A’, Afghanistan ‘A’ have finally completed their dream run to clinch their maiden ACC Teams Emerging Asia Cup title. After Mohammad Ishaq smashed the winning boundary through square leg, the celebrations said it all at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman against Sri Lanka A.
A thrilling Emerging Asia Cup Final!
The story of this final really was a tale of two contrasting innings. Sri Lanka A had a nightmare start, losing wickets in clusters as the Afghan bowlers came out firing. Allah Ghazanfar was unplayable tonight as he danced the Lankan batters to his tunes, claiming 2/14 in his four overs.
At 25/4, Sri Lanka A were in serious trouble, and it took a gutsy fifty from captain Sahan Arachchige to give them something to bowl at. He found a valuable ally in Nimesh Vimukthi, who chipped in with 23, helping push their total to 133/7. Bilal Sami was also the standout bowler for Afghanistan, picking up three crucial wickets. Nonetheless, Arachchige played one of the best knocks of the tournament, soaking in all the pressure. He remained unbeaten at 64 and was the only reason why SL ‘A’ managed to post a respectable total.
Editor's Pick
Top Stories
Tell us why didn’t you like our article so that we can improve on?