Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the T20I Asia Cup Group B match in Abu Dhabi on Thursday evening.
Chasing a challenging 170-run target for victory, Sri Lanka crossed the finish line with six wickets in hand and eight balls to spare.
Kusal Mendis remained the highest scorer for the winning side with 74 off 52 balls, hitting 10 boundaries. Kusal Perera made 28 off 20 balls with the help of three boundaries.
Kamindu Mendis contributed a quickfire 26 off 13 balls, laced with two maximums. Skipper Charith Asalanka made 17 off 12 balls, hitting two boundaries.
Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad took one wicket apiece. Match committee named Kusal Mendis as player of the match for his outstanding show with the bat.
Afghanistan Scorecard:
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Afghanistan managed to reach 169/8 in the allocated 20 overs.
Mohammad Nabi remained the top scorer for Afghanistan with a whirlwind 60 off just 22 balls, laced with three fours and six maximums. Ibrahim Zadran and skipper Rashid Khan contributed 24 each, Sediqullah Atal 18 and Rehmanullah Gurbaz 14 runs.
Nuwan Thushara bagged four wickets and Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage and Dasun Shanaka one each, while Mohammad Nabi was run out on the last ball of the innings.
Afghanistan Playing XI: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli. Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai. Rashid Khan (capt), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Sri Lanka Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (capt). Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga. Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
Meanwhile, Pakistan beat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 41 runs in Dubai to reach the Super-Four stage of the T20I Asia Cup. Chasing a decent 147-run target for victory, the UAE were bundled out for 105 in 17.4 overs. The match between the two sides played on Wednesday.
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