Afghanistan's Hopes of Reaching Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 Rest on Big Upset Win Over SL

On 5 September 2023, Afghanistan will take on Sri Lanka in Lahore in the sixth game of the ongoing Asia Cup. However, it will be the last game of the group stage. In Group B, Sri Lanka are currently in the top spot with two points with one win. Bangladesh are in the second spot with two points with one win and one loss. While this match is going to be a vital one for the Afghans as they lost against the Bangla Tigers.

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So, it will be a must-win clash for them and that to be by a huge margin to get qualified for the ‘Super 4’ stage. After Bangladesh’s victory over Afghanistan on 3 September, the Bangla Tigers have confirmed their berth in the ‘Super 4’ with a positive run rate of 0.373. A well-known Cricket Statistian Mazher Arshad also tweeted the same.

Sri Lanka are on 11- Match unbeaten Streak in ODIs

He tweeted: “Bangladesh have qualified for the Super Four stage. For Afghanistan to qualify, they will need to beat Sri Lanka by approximately 70 runs or chase in approximately 36 overs. #AsiaCup2023.” 

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Even, after the game, ESPNCricinfo also reported: “if SL lose tomorrow by a small margin they remain above Bangladesh but Afghanistan can’t go above Bangladesh. If Afghanistan win heavy to qualify, they may end up going above Bangladesh’s NRR but they will impact SL’s NRR so heavily that it will go below Bangladesh’s. Basically, there is no scenario where BOTH Afghanistan and SL can end on a high NRR than Bangladesh.”

However, it will not be an easy task for the Afghans as the Lankans are on an 11-match unbeaten streak in ODIs. Even, it is their best-ever streak in the 50-over format in their history. So, an enthralling battle is expected to take place in Lahore. Meanwhile, Afghanistan have suffered losses in all of their last five ODIs. In the last five ODIs vs Sri Lanka, they won only once and that came in June 2023.

Check Here: 5 Players to Watch Out for in SL vs AFG, Asia Cup 2023