BRISBANE: Sri Lanka secured a comprehensive 6 wicket victory over Afghanistan to stay in contention for a semifinal berth although such possibility is low given that it would depend on the outcome of other matches. Afghanistan has now been eliminated from the T20 World Cup after 2 losses and 2 matches being abandoned due to rain.
Wanindu Hasaranga proved once again that he is a star spinner by picking up 3 wickets for 13 runs limiting Afghanistan to 144 for 8 wickets off the 20 overs. Gurbaz top scored with 28 runs.
Chasing the target of 149, Dhanjaya De Silva played an unbeaten knock of 66 runs off 42 balls to ensure Sri Lanka reaches the score of 148 for the loss of 4 wickets with 9 balls remaining in the innings.
Sri Lanka now stands at the 4th position with 4 points with one more match remaining against England. New Zealand and England are ranked first and second respectively with 5 points each followed by Australia.
Match score in summary
AFG 144/8 (20 overs)
Gurbaz 28 W Hasaranga 3 for 13 runs
SL 148/4 (18.3 overs) – SL win by 6 wickets
D de Silva 66* Mujeeb ur Rahman 2 for 24 runs
Sri Lanka will have to win against England in their final match in the Super 12 on Saturday, 5th November and await results of Afghanistan Vs Australia and Ireland Vs New Zealand (both matches on Friday, 4th November) to assess a path to sneak in to the Semi Finals.
In another match held today at the Gabba, England beat New Zealand by 20 runs with England skipper Jos butler leading the charge against the kiwis with a brilliant 73 off just 47 balls. (RZ) Image credit: T20worldcup official website
