Match 7: Afghanistan Blows Chance to Take Down Sri Lanka

Afghanistan won’t get a better chance to win a match at this year’s World Cup than they did last night, and the method of their collapse in chasing a mid-range target has more than likely confined them to spectators for the remainder of the tournament. Though no one expected them to challenge for the title, there was great hope that they would push for not just one victory but multiple victories during the six week tournament. After falling to Sri Lanka last night, that now seems like fairy take stuff. Mind you, this could well be the only victory Sri Lanka tastes as well. It should also be noted that once again a team that was invited to bat first after their opponents won the toss and gave up that advantage has once again won. Runs on the board… and all that…

• Sri Lanka’s opening duo of Karunaratne and Kusal Perera made a great start, taking 92 from the first 13 overs. That they then lost ten wickets for 109 runs from the following 24 overs, even given that rain changed their batting equation, is what has proven costly for this team for some time. One suspects against most other teams it would have cost them the match, But… runs on the board… and all that…
• Hamid Hassan was taken for 30 runs from his first two overs of which no delivery managed to reach the 140kph range. But his second spell was a beauty, combining with Nabi and Rashid to squeeze the life out of the Sri Lankan innings. His speeds reached the heights of 145kph as he had in the first match, and his next four overs produced 1/16 and multiple deliveries flying past the edge to pound into the keepers gloves. He still has a lot to offer this World Cup in regards to excitement.
• Two periods defined the match, and both saw five wickets fall in next to no time. Sri Lanka had been cruising at 1/144 off 21 overs when Mohammed Nabi took three wickets in one over, but which required the nous of putting in a slip during a period where the batting team was on top. It was great to see attacking cricket being rewarded, with Thirimanne bowled by alazy shot, and then both Mendis and Matthews fooled by clever bowling that resulted in catches at first slip. This then led to the onset of the run out of Thisara Perera through the pressure being exerted by Nabi, Hassan and Rashid, all of which topped off an excellent period of play by the least experienced team of this World Cup.
• Similarly, after Afghanistan had gotten away to exactly the kind of start they needed if they were to win this game, it was the excellence of Malinga and Pradeep in particular that turned the game around, with five wicket falling for just 23 runs over nine overs that destroyed any hope of the underdogs getting up and winning the match. There was good bowling by all the Lankan seamers, but the four wickets from the recalled Pradeep who did not play in the first game was the clincher. He hit the pitch and moved the ball such that the batsmen were consistently under pressure, and his two spells both contained two wickets.
• Afghanistan’s batting is not up to a standard at this stage where it can win these contests. They are more likely to get runs from their lower order than the top order, and there doesn’t seem to be a stable presence at this stage in the batting order. In the short contests they will continue to be felt, but they need to develop a strategy for the 50 over game that includes scoring runs without throwing the bat at the ball as hard as they can.

While the match itself was made up of moments that created an exciting contest, it also proved that neither of these teams are likely to provide any upsets for the remainder of the World Cup. That may prove to be yet another early call in a tournament where those kinds of calls have already proven to be far from accurate, but on face value here neither team looks to have the balance required to make a big splash at this year’s tournament.