Lahore, September 5th: Sri Lanka won a thrilling match against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup and qualified for the Super4s. Mohammad Nabi played well, scoring 65 runs off 32 balls, but it wasn’t enough for Afghanistan to win. Kusal Mendis scored 92 runs for Sri Lanka, helping them reach a total of 291 runs. Afghanistan needed to score 292 runs in 37. 1 overs, but their run rate was not good enough. Nabi hit the fastest half-century for an Afghanistan player in ODIs, bringing them close to victory. However, at the end, Afghanistan needed 15 runs off 7 balls to win, but they couldn’t do it and lost by two runs. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh qualified from Group B for the Super4s. He hit five sixes and scored twelve boundaries. The Sri Lanka openers, Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne, started the innings well but were dismissed by Gulbadin Naib. The openers made mistakes after a good start, rather than the bowlers being skilled. Batting at number three, Mendis played a nearly perfect innings with six boundaries and three sixes. The highlight was how easily he played against Rashid, who is known for tricking skilled players. Mendis had no trouble dealing with Rashid’s tricky deliveries and hit three consecutive fours on the leg side. Later in Rashid’s turn, Mendis hit the ball well and sent it over the long on area for a maximum score. The Sri Lankan batter deserved to score a hundred, but unfortunately got run out when the ball went through Rashid’s hands and hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end, leaving Mendis far away from the crease. Mendis had a partnership of 102 runs with Charith Asalanka, which further strengthened Sri Lanka’s position. However, Afghanistan spinners dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva and captain Dasun Shanaka in just six balls, which slowed down the scoring rate. In the end, thanks to a partnership of 64 runs for the eighth wicket between Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage, Sri Lanka managed to reach close to the 300-run mark. The text needs to be rewritten in a simpler way.