Sri Lanka eye third ACC title against strong Afghans
After suffering a narrow defeat to Afghanistan in their opening group match, Gunawardene views the setback as a crucial learning experience. The team rebounded impressively, winning their next two group games and the semi-final against defending champions Pakistan Shaheens.
“The Afghanistan game was a close call. We have to accept that we were rusty; it was our first match, and torrential rain back home limited our outdoor training. However, after a few practice sessions, the team gelled, and the loss ignited a strong desire to win,” Gunawardene told the Sunday Times.
Sri Lanka ‘A’, led by top order batsman Nuwanidu Fernando, would be eager to claim the third regional title since the competition was inaugurated in 2013, after having reached the finals in 2017 and 2018 and completing with success at both editions.
Afghanistan ‘A’, led by Darwish Rasooli, a veteran of seven T20I games, would desire to make their first appearance in a final of the regional competition, a historic one with a potential win. Their best so far were in 2017 and 2019 editions, managing to reach the semi-final stage.
On record both teams ended up with two wins from three outings from Group ‘A’, with Sri Lanka going down to their opponents by 11 runs in their first round game. Afghanistan, on the other hand, pulled off wins against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but suffered a shocking 5-wicket defeat against minnows Hong Kong, making today’s final an evenly balanced affair.
In their first group game Sri Lanka suffered a 11-run win after failing to clear a winning target of 167 runs. Put into bat, Afghanistan posted 166 runs for the loss of seven wickets with openers Zubaid Akbari (57) and Sediqullah Atal (83) putting on a stand of 142 runs after facing 15.5 overs. Despite using six bowlers, leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha was the only one to find form with figures of 6 for 23, with the remaining wicket falling for a run out affected by him. Sri Lanka had some shaky moments, but skipper Nuwanidu Fernando (51) and middle-order bat Ahan Wickramasinghe (31) gave the much needed boost, before they collapsed at 155 with three deliveries to spare.
Sri Lanka tasted their first win against Hong Kong by 42 runs after making some crucial changes to their approach against the Afghans, where they were sloppy in fielding, having grounded nine crucial catches. Put into bat, Sri Lanka posted 178 for 5, with timely knowns from opener Yashoda Lanka (56), skipper Fernando (25), Ramesh Mendis (24n.o.), Sahan Arachchige (23n.o.) and Pavan Rathnayake (23). With effective bowling from Nipun Ransika (3/17) and Eshan Malinga (2/20) Sri Lanka restricted Hong Kong to 136 for 7 to record their first win.
Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by 19 runs in their third and final group game to secure a slot in the semi-finals, where they were slotted against defending champions Pakistan ‘A’. Electing to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 161 for 7, with contributions from Pavan Rathnayake (42), Lahiru Udara (35), Sahan Arachchige (30) and opener Yashodha Lanka (23). With spinner Hemantha coming into action with three scalps, Sri Lanka restricted Bangladesh at 142 for 7.
“It was all a total team effort as I would call it. In batting someone stepped up when another failed to deliver. The totals of the four games clearly proves it. In bowling, obviously Dushan Hemantha proved his consistency as a spinner under given conditions. Of course the fast bowlers too proved their value even if pitches did not favour them on certain instances,” Gunawardene explained of the evolving process of his team.
After defeating Sri Lanka by 11 runs in their opening group match, Afghanistan maintained their momentum with a 4-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a tightly contested game. Bangladesh batted first, scoring 164 for 4, thanks to strong performances from opener Parvez Hossain (54), Towhid Hridoy (42 not out), and Shamim Hossain (38 not out). Afghanistan’s opener, Sediqullah Atal, anchored the chase with an impressive 95 not out off 55 balls, leading his team to victory after losing six wickets with five balls to spare.
However, what could have been a flawless run to the knockout stage was interrupted by Hong Kong, who pulled off a surprising 5-wicket win in Afghanistan’s final group match. Choosing to bat first, Afghanistan got a solid start from Atal, who scored 52 off 41 balls. Yet, a remarkable performance from Hong Kong’s left-arm spinner Anas Khan, who took 6 wickets for just 12 runs, led to Afghanistan being bowled out for 131 runs with one ball remaining. Solid contributions from Nizakat Khan (61) and Babar Hayat (39) guided Hong Kong to their only win of the tournament, finishing with three deliveries to spare.
With this defeat, Afghanistan was pushed to second place in Group ‘A’, while Sri Lanka topped the group, and Bangladesh and Hong Kong failed to advance. From Group ‘B’, unbeaten India topped the standings with straight wins, while Pakistan finished second. The United Arab Emirates and Oman were knocked out after the group stage, setting up a semi-final lineup of Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan and India vs. Afghanistan.
In the first semi-final, title holders Pakistan elected to make full use of the toss they won but were shocked when Hemantha struck four scalps, with pacemen Nipun Ransika and Eshan Malinga claiming two wickets each. Despite opener Omair Yousuf (68) standing tall, Pakistan was curtailed to 135 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs. Sri Lanka made some changes to their batting order, which paid off as they reached 137, losing only three wickets. Ahan Wickramasinghe, promoted in the order, capitalized on the opportunity to score an unbeaten 52 off 46 balls, with opener Lahiru Udara (43) and Sahan Arachchige (17 not out) making useful contributions in Sri Lanka’s 7-wicket win against the defending champions.
“Prior to Friday’s game, Ahan (Wickramasinghe) batted well in the nets. He didn’t get much opportunity to bat during the series, and we thought it was time to give him a chance to prove himself and surprise Pakistan a bit. It worked beautifully,” the former Sri Lankan opener explained regarding Friday’s successful strategy.
Revamping their approach, Afghanistan overpowered the unbeaten Indians to record a 20-run win in a high-scoring second semi-final played later on Friday. Electing to bat first, Afghanistan posted 206 for 4, with openers Atal (83) and Zubaid Akbari (64), along with top-order batsman Karim Janat (41), leading from the front. Despite timely knocks from Ramandeep Singh (64), Ayush Badoi (31), and Nishant Sindhu (23), India was restricted to 187 for 7, setting up an Afghanistan vs. Sri Lanka final at 7:00 PM today.
Afghan opener Sediqullah Atal (313) tops the list of most runs, with fellow opener Zubaid Akbari (137) placed third. Claiming their wickets early will be crucial if Sri Lanka hopes to win the title for the third time. Sri Lanka’s Yashodha Lanka (105), Nuwanidu Fernando (104), and Lahiru Udara (98) are among the top 10 run-scorers, and the continued form of Ahan Wickramasinghe and Sahan Arachchige will be vital. Dushan Hemantha leads the bowling charts with 14 wickets, with Nipun Ransika (6) and Eshan Malinga (5) also among the top 10 bowlers, which will be key to Sri Lanka’s success.
“For the final, we will likely keep the same team, but there may be slight tactical adjustments in bowling and batting. Unless playing conditions change, there’s a 90 percent certainty that we will have the same combination as Friday. However, final decisions will be made after the last practice session and by observing the pitch conditions. Now, it’s all about sealing the win, and everyone is eager to complete that mission,” assured the head coach.
However, Afghanistan will be keen to win their inaugural ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup title, having progressed swiftly and posed challenges to Sri Lanka’s chances. Yet, beating the defending champions and an unbeaten side certainly places both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in a worthy position to contest the final of the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, with the title up for grabs.
| Teams | |
| Sri Lanka (from); Nuwanidu Fernando (Captain), Yashodha Lanka, Lahiru Udara, Lasith Croospulle, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Dushan Hemantha, Ramesh Mendis, Kavindu Nadeeshan, Nimesh Vimukthi, Nipun Ransika, Isitha Wijesundara, Eshan Malinga, Pramod Madushan, Dinura Kalupahana Afghanistan (from): Darwish Rasooli (Captain), Mohammad Ishaq, Sediqullah Atal, Zubaid Akbari, Numan Shah, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Karim Janat, Nangeyalia Kharote, Shahidullah, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Abdul Rahman, Bilal Sami, Faridoon Dawoodzai, AM Ghazanfar, Qais Ahmad |