We fought well, we gave our 100%: Hashmatullah Shahidi

Afghanistan faltered in the run-chase against Sri Lanka despite a valiant effort from Mohammed Nabi. After a classy knock from Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan were well on track to chase down the total in 37.2 overs, the required timeframe for Afghanistan to qualify for the Super Four, but it was not to be.

Afghanistan could muster 289 runs in 37.4 overs, losing all 10 wickets, thus handing the last Super Four position to hosts Sri Lanka on a canter. However, skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi is not too bugged down by that, as he believes Afghanistan gave their 100% and he is extremely proud of the way they played.

“Very disappointed about it. We fought well, we gave our 100%. Proud of the team for they way we played, the way we batted. I think in the last couple of years, we played good cricket in the ODI format also,” Shahidi said in the post-match presentation.

“We are still learning a lot. We had a lot of positives in this tournament. We are very near to the World Cup, what we did wrong here we will learn and be better for World Cup. Our crowd is always supporting us. We are thankful to them. We tried our best to give something back to them today, we feel sorry for them.”

Meanwhile, player of the match, Kusal Mendis admitted that it was tough to defend sub-300 totals in ODIs, with bowling becoming harder day by day. 

“We batted well in the first ten overs and then in the middle overs. I did my best today for my today. We were under pressure. The bowlers did a great job. With four fielders outside the circle, it's very hard to bowl. We did well in all three departments and that's why we won,” Mendis said.

Now, Sri Lanka will play Bangladesh in their first Super Four encounter at the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on September 9, 2023.