Afghanistan A won the ACC Mens T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, defeating Sri Lanka A by seven wickets in the final at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground on Sunday. After winning the toss on Sunday, Sri Lanka captain Nuwanidu Fernando chose to bat. However, it didn’t help Sri Lanka win the final. Sahan Arachchige (64 runs from 47 balls, 6 sixes) was Sri Lanka’s lone star batsman, remaining unbeaten at the crease and contributing key runs to the scoreboard. Arachchige’s important effort propelled Sri Lanka to 133/7 in the first inning.
Nimesh Vimukthi (23 runs from 19 balls, 1 four, 1 six) and Pawan Rathnayake (20 runs from 21 balls, 1 six) also contributed to Sri Lanka’s run total. Afghanistan dominated the game, successfully reducing Sri Lanka to 133/7. Bilal Sami led the Afghan bowling assault, taking three wickets in four overs and conceding only 22 runs. Allah Ghazanfar also took two wickets in the first inning.
During the run chase, Zubaid Akbari (0 runs from 1 ball) and Sediqullah Atal (55 runs from 55 balls, three fours, and one six) opened for the Afghans, but they did not get off to a good start.
However, Afghanistan made a strong recovery after Atal and Darwish Rasooli (24 runs from 20 balls, 2 fours, and 1 six) formed an important combination.
Karim Janat (33 runs from 27 balls, 3 sixes) and Mohammad Ishaq (16 runs from 6 balls, 1 four, and 1 six) also delivered outstanding performances to help Afghanistan win the final. Mohammad Ishaq and Sediqullah Atal remained at the crease to secure a seven-wicket victory in the final. Sri Lanka’s bowling attack delivered a poor performance, failing to restrict the target. The only wicket-takers for Sri Lanka were Eshan Malinga, Dushan Hemantha, and Sahan Arachchige.