New Delhi: Afghanistan won the Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 after defeating Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in the final at Al Amerat Cricket Ground on Sunday, October 27. The Afghan team chased down the 134-run target in 18.1 overs to win the tournament.
Sahan Arachchige dismissed Zubiad Akbari on the first ball of the innings but Sediqullah Atal played a match-winning knock and scored 55 runs off 55 balls. Atal stitched a 43-run partnership with Darwish Rasooli for the second wicket to put pressure back on Sri Lanka. Dushan Hemantha dismissed Rasooli in the seventh over but Atal stitched another brilliant 52-run partnership with Karim Janat.
He scored 33 runs off 27 balls and was removed by Eshan Malinga in the 15th over. Mohammad Ishaq remained unbeaten with Atal and helped the team to win the Emerging Asia Cup 2024 title.
ICYMI: #AfghanAbdalyan went past Sri Lanka A in the Grand Finale to Clinch their Maiden ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 🏆
🔗: https://t.co/JUFkFcLamW#AFGAvSLA | #MensT20EmergingTeamsAsiaCup | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/Z74u9lbBGn
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 27, 2024
Sahan Arachchige’s knock sets 134-run target for Afghanistan
Sri Lanka lost four big wickets in the powerplay after skipper Nuwanidu Fernando opted to bat first. Bilal Sami dismissed both the openers cheaply while Allah Ghazanfar removed Fernando on 4 runs.
Sahan Arachchige stitched crucial partnerships with the lower order and helped the team to post a decent total on the scoreboard. He amassed an unbeaten 64 runs off 47 balls with the help of six boundaries. Nimesh Vimukthi (23) and Pawan Rathnayake (20) also made crucial contributions with the bat. But the target was not good enough to challenge in-form Afghanistan’s batting line-up.
Sediqullah Atal won the Player of the Tournament Award for his outstanding performance with the bat. He scored 368 runs at an impressive strike rate of 147.79 in five innings, including 5 half-centuries. The tournament started on October 18, where Afghanistan secured victories against Sri Lanka A and Bangladesh A. They defeated India A in the semi-final to advance to their first-ever Final and won their first title in the tournament’s history.
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