- 3rd Match, Group B, Asia Cup at Abu Dhabi, Sep 17 2018
Virtually everything about this Afghanistan batting effort was steady. They began with a 57-run opening stand, they were anchored through the middle by Rahmat Shah’s 72 off 92 balls, and then the middle and lower order batsmen chipped in with useful contributions, raising the total to a very competitive 249 all out – the final wicket falling off the last delivery.
Sri Lanka, though, got through the death overs without excessive damage, thanks in part to Thisara Perera, whose stable supply of yorkers yielded him three wickets in the final over, and brought him figures of 5 for 55 from nine overs. Although Afghanistan had been well-placed to explode, coming into the 40th over only three wickets down, Sri Lanka managed to restrict them to only 66 in that period. Akila Dananjaya had been instrumental to checking Afghanistan’s progress earlier on as well, trapping the openers lbw, and finishing with 2 for 39 from his 10 overs.
Sri Lanka’s fielding effort, however, was mistake-riddled yet again. As is often the case, the opposition’s top scorer was dropped – Shah spilled by a diving Dasun Shanaka for 56, at deep midwicket. Malinga was the bowler, and having had catches dropped in the match on Saturday as well, Malinga might soon start wondering why he tried so hard to get back into this particular team. There were also run-out chances missed. Ihsanullah would have been out for 14 had the bowler Thisara Perera hit the stumps after the batsman had walked too far down the pitch in the seventh over. He could have been out again on 17 had Kusal Mendis hit the stumps, running in from midwicket in the 11th over.
Shah’s was largely a steady and controlled innings – the likes of which he has played many times over the last 18 months, as Afghanistan’s most consistent batsman. His first scoring shot was streaky – an outside edge past a diving slip off the bowling of Dananjaya – but he settled nicely thereafter, finding singles and twos into the outfield with the field spread. While Afghanistan’s first three dismissals were all to lbws, Shah ensured he blocked out the majority of the straight deliveries the spinners bowled to him. – Cricinfo
