Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah delivered exceptional performances to outshine Kusal Mendis' brilliant 158 in a rain-affected match in Guwahati, as Afghanistan secured a dominant victory in the World Cup 2023 Warm-up match.
Afghanistan faced an early setback in their pursuit of 295 when opener Ibrahim Zadran departed quickly. However, Gurbaz and Rahmat steadily built a partnership, with both batsmen remaining unbeaten at 53 and 51 runs, respectively, when rain interrupted play in the 21st over.
Following an hour's delay due to wet conditions, Afghanistan's revised target became 257 runs to win in 42 overs. When the match resumed, they required 139 runs from 21.1 overs.
The rain break proved advantageous for Afghanistan, as Gurbaz and Rahmat accelerated their scoring, extending their second-wicket partnership to a game-changing 212 runs.
Gurbaz blazed his way to 119 runs off 92 balls, striking nine sixes and eight fours, while Rahmat contributed a solid 93 from 82 balls, featuring ten fours and three sixes. When both batsmen retired out in the 32nd over, Afghanistan needed a mere 26 runs from the remaining ten overs to seal the victory, which Najibullah Zadran and Azmatullah Omarzai accomplished comfortably.
In the earlier innings, Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis had single-handedly propelled his team to a competitive total with a breathtaking century. After the early dismissals of Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka within the first 13 overs,
Mendis took charge, smashing 19 fours and nine sixes in his 87-ball innings. During his innings, he forged a crucial partnership of 158 runs with Sadeera Samarawickrama before retiring out in the 30th over. However, once Mendis departed, Afghanistan made a strong comeback, largely thanks to Mohammad Nabi's four-wicket haul. From a comfortable position of 240 for 2, Sri Lanka could only add 54 more runs before being bowled out in the 47th over.
