Afghanistan cricket team. (AP photo)Sri Lanka (SL) vs Afghanistan (AFG), Asia Cup 2025 Today Match highlights: Kusal Mendis anchored the chase for Sri Lanka by scoring 52-ball 74 to take the side home by six wickets in 18.4 overs against Afghanistan in match 11 of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
SL vs AFG Asia Cup 2025 Live Cricket Score, Full Scorecard: Watch Here
Earlier, Mohammad Nabi slammed a 22-ball 60 to help Afghanistan score 169/ from 20 overs after Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to bat first against Charith Asalanka’s Sri Lanka.
SL vs AFGs Asia Cup 2025 Live Streaming Updates: Watch Here
With the result, Afghanistan are out of the Asia Cup from Group B, and it is Sri Lanka and Bangladesh who have qualified for the Super 4s. And from group A, after Pakistan’s win against the UAE yesterday, it is the Men in Green and India that have qualified for the next round of the tournament.
Teams:
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka(c), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Sad news coming from Colombo. Suranga Wellalage, the father of Dunith Wellalage passed away of a heart attack. He was 54 and a former cricketer himself, May he attain the supreme bliss of nibbana.
— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) September 18, 2025
That's the end, and it is fittingly Kusal Mendis who gets the winning runs for Sri Lanka. While the first two wins too have been quite good, this definitely is a statement win. If India is the toughest bowling attack a side can face in this tournament, the second best is Afghanistan, and Sri Lankan batters in that chase made a mockery of that attack. Yes, they were helped by Afghanistan with some poor bowling, but they had held their nerve through critical passages in that chase, which they did, and took the side home. With that, it is Sri Lanka and Bangladesh who will qualify from this group. That's it from us for today. Do join us live for the India vs Oman clash.
What a chase this has been from Sri Lanka so far. Yes, Afghanistan have been quite ordinary with their bowling, but the batters had to do their job and they did quite clinically. Kusal Mendis has played quite a mature innings here, and Sri Lanka are on the verge of their third win in the tournament. The celebrations would have started in the Bangladesh camp as well, who would have been nervous at the halfway mark with the way Afghanistan's batter, but this game keeps throwing surprises, and this was not a surprise per se, but the surrender of the Afghanistan side was quite meek.
Rashid Khan is gone off the field here. One of Kamindu Mendis' deliveries took the leading edge and looped over and fell behind the umpire, and in his attempt to pull the ball quickly and throw it back, he hurt his back. He did his job, though the Afghan skipper might not have picked up the wicket; he bowled quite economically. Sri Lanka has to win this game from this point on, they have the wickets in hand, and apart from Rashid, all the Afghan bowlers have been quite off-color today, and now in the absence of the captain at the crucial stage, it is going to go well with the Lankans.
Noor Ahmed has picked up the Sri Lankan skipper here. It was a delivery on off and middle, and Asalanka tried to hit it through cow-corner, and Rashidh Khan at mid-wicket took a superb running catch. Much-needed breakthrough for Afghanistan here, but they need more pressure. Additionally, for Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis has gone past his half-century. What a lovely innings it has been from him. He has held this innings nicely for Sri Lanka. The game is still on, but Sri Lanka are slight favourites at this point.
Mujeeb has got the breakthrough here. It was the googly from the off-spinner which Kusal Perera did not read and tried to push the ball coming forward; however, the ball slightly moved away, took the faint edge to the keeper Gurbaz. Although Afghanistan is picking up wickets regularly because of the poor deliveries and errors they are making in the game, which is keeping them at arm's length against Sri Lanka. Kusal Mendis is the key to Sri Lanka. He has batted well; he needs to stay till the 18th over if Sri Lanka has to win this game.
Sri Lanka were quite magnificent on the field in the first innings and also avoided unnecessary errors, but on the other hand, Afghanistan have been making a lot of errors in their defence and letting the game slip away. They need a couple of quick wickets here. The runs they can squeeze out of other bowlers are letting them try to see off Rashid Khan without needing him to attack much. Also quite clever batting from Kusal Perera and Mendis to pick their bowlers and respect the ones who need to be.
Both the wrist spinners have come into the attack, and this is the game for either side. If Sri Lanka can manage this phase well, they will be able to pull off this game or else, it's going to be Afghanistan in the Super Four. As of now, the squeeze is on, and runs have been hard to come by for the Sri Lankan batters. As we update, Noor Ahmed has slipped one down the leg-side, which has run away for a boundary, that is the second time that has happened this evening in the Afghan innings. They have given away an easy 10 runs.
Mohammad Nabi has picked up the wicket of Kamil Mishara here. It was a bit of a nothing shot from the left-hander, he just was caught in two minds whether to drive it or hit the inside-out over the fielder, and in the end gave the catch to mid-off fielder Rashid Khan. Although Afghanistan has picked up two wickets, they have conceded 10 runs too many for their liking and it has to do with some ordinary bowling rather than Sri Lanka taking their chances. As we update, Rashid Khan has come into the attack here.
Although Afghanistan has picked up a wicket, their bowling so far has been quite ordinary. Farooqi has been all over the place, and Mujeeb, too, could not make much of an impression in that opening over. With runs on the board, all the new-ball bowlers for Afghanistan had to do was set up the game for the wrist spinners; however, their lack of accuracy has let Sri Lanka off the hook, and Kusal Mendis has been offered some freebies to cash upon. Sri Lanka is ahead in this chase at this point in time.
Omarzai has come in and picked up the wicket of in-form batter Pathum Nissanka. It was a delivery on the body which should have been put away for a boundary; however, Nissanka hit it straight to the fine-leg fielder Mujeeb. Kamil Mishara has walked into the middle. Sri Lanka needs to be sensible about this chase. This is not going to be as easy as what they have been able to do in the first couple of games. Afghanistan, after a couple of big overs, the wicket is what the doctor ordered and now they will be looking to squeeze Sri Lanka from here on.
We are done with the opening over here, and Fazalhaq Farooqi took the new ball. He started bowling a bit wide of the off-stump, trying to take the ball away from the batters in the opening over, but that line ended up cuttable for both the Sri Lankan openers, who have been able to extract nine runs in that first over. It is not going to be easy for Sri Lanka, they will need to make the most of the powerplay once the field is spread and spin is on. It is going to take some high-skilled batting and a cucumber's cool temperament to get these runs against the Afghan attack.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka(c), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Well, that was a breathtaking final over. Mohammad Nabi got hold of Wellalge and slammed him for five sixes in the over, and in total it has cost Sri Lanka 32 runs. There was a point in the innings where 130 felt like an achievement for Afghanistan, but thanks to Nabi's blistering knock at the end, they got over 160, which must be defendable if there is no dew and they do the basics right. We will be right back after the short break. Do stay with us for all the live action from the second innings.
Nuwan Thushara has picked up Rashid Khan here. It was a slower one from Thushara, which the Rashid tried to flick through mid-wicket and missed the ball completely, and the stumps got rattled. That is definitely a lot of runs Sri Lanka has saved in these final overs. However, they still have Mohammad Nabi in the middle, who is quite an experienced campaigner and can navigate them through to around that 150-mark, which will give Afghanistan a fighting chance.
Chameera has been quite brilliant in this second spell. In the first over, he was all over the shop, and both Gurbaz and Atal got hold of him, but in this spell, he has mixed his lengths nicely, and also his pace variations have been quite accurate. We have seen the innings progress in a similar pattern when Afghanistan faced Bangladesh when the latter's run rate tappered off in the second half of the innings, and Afghanistan too are finding it hard to keep up with the tempo.
Rashid Khan is hitting a few big shots here. Usually, he is very good with these comeos, the Afghan skipper, but today his side needs more than a cameo if they want to put a good total on the board, and he has to give himself and his bowling colleagues a fighting chance. Also, one more advantage for Afghanistan is that, through this tournament, there has not been much dew. If that is the case again today, the wicket will get slower and it will assist the Afghan spinners well.
Since our last update, Afghanistan has lost two more. They have lost their way completely. Here, the Afghans first. It was Omarzai who tried to pull one and chopped onto stumps, and Zadran, another set batter, who, after consuming 25 deliveries for his 24, charged down the track and hit it long off fielder Dushmanatha Chameera who took a cracking catch on the boundary. 160 is the score Afghanistan needed, but with their current predicament, anything around 130-140 is what they should be targeting from here on.
The experiment to bring in Rasooli in place of Gulbadin Naib has not worked for Afghanistan, he was getting himself in and, in the process, consumed 16 deliveries, and in the end tried to square cut the ball against Chameera and Kusal Perera on the boundary, took a lovely catch. The problem with Afghanistan here is that they are losing batters who are consuming deliveries. The number of deliveries when a batter takes, he needs to go on and make a score, which is not happening.
The run rate has taken a beating here in the last few overs after the cluster of wickets that fell in the power play. The eternal conundrum of captains, should Thushara have bowled one more and finished his quota and pushed for one more wicket, or should he be kept for later? Although what Asalanka did today is the more common tactic that is used by skippers to use three overs in powerplay if the bowler is doing well, but also with the lack of another pace, option Asalanka will need Thushara to at the end.
Thushara has picked up Atal as well. Once again, the ball pitched and moved to rattle Atal's stumps. There was a swing on offer and Thushara has made the most of it. It is quite an interesting call from Asalanka not to try and use another over of seam in that powerplay instead of Dunith Wellalage. Having that the other seam option apart from Chameera is Shanka, who is always vulnerable to getting hit for a few in the powerplay especially with only two fielders outside the ring.
Apart from that, over Chameera, this has been quite a good start for Sri Lanka. Winning the toss and opting to bat first in these conditions makes teams always vulnerable to swing and seam. If Afghanistan can manage to go unharmed from here on, they have enough power in their batting to make the most of it in the later overs. They will need a good partnership between Atal and Zadran, who are their technically most sound batters in the middle.
Nuwan Thushara has picked up the first wicket. It was a fuller one, and Gurbaz gave an almighty heave to it, only managing to get the outside edge, and Kusal Perera took a lovely catch at fly-slip. Afghanistan, after blistering for a bit, lost an early wicket here. And there is a change in batting order here, Karim Janat has walked into the middle for Afghanistan. As we update, Thushara gets rid of Karim Janat with a pitched delivery that moves away. Afghanistan lost two in a single over here.
Nuwan Thushara has taken the new ball for Sri Lanka, and there is a bit of green tinge on the wicket, which we have not seen for the game between Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Sri Lanka does have the seam attack to make the most of these conditions, and they have already shown what they can do against Bangladesh earlier in the tournament. Afghanistan has to play this smartly rather than with intent; they have the attack to defend totals, but they need to assess the par score and go after that rather than looking for 180+ illusory totals.
We are done with the national anthems; it is going to be a cracker of a game. This is a good chasing ground, hence it is important that Afghanistan manages to put on a good total on the board. The Afghan openers are in the middle, let's wait and see how much they can post on the board.
"The tracks here are a different color. Lot more grass than the adjacent pitch. It might be two-paced and there will be some help for the pacers. You have to give yourself some time as a batter. Thank God for the breeze, it will help the players. The ball comes on here better than Dubai. The ball might not turn much but the Afghanistan spinners can spin a web around anyone. Get a good start and keep rotating the strike instead of looking for big hits," i
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka(c), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
I would have done the same thing. We have spoken about our middle order batting, we have two in-form openers and that is an advantage for us. We have to improve our middle order batting, we want to execute than talking. We have one change - Wellalage for Theekshana.
We would like to bat first. Runs on the board is important on this wicket. It is a must-win game, we have to keep it simple and do the basics right. It is a new surface, we have played a lot in Abu Dhabi, 165+ is a good score. We have a couple of changes.
Left-arm seamers, the exceptional ones, wield an aura, but there are only faint outlines of a halo around Farooqi. He doesn’t quite glide along the green carpet, doesn’t possess a bagful of impish variations, he makes the ball talk plain prose rather than grand verse, but makes batsmen’s life hellish. He bends the ball into the right-hander, not devilishly, but moderately; and shapes the ball away from them. From the same run-up, point of release, same length, same line, and with the same eager expression. (Read more from Sandip G)
“They were joking, of course, but that was the perception. In their mind, only Afghanistan spinners could play overseas leagues, not batsmen, and definitely not spinners,” Farooqi says in a Sunrisers Hyderabad video
“There are no favourites, especially in T20 cricket. It depends on the day and how you play. If the day is in your favour, you can beat any side. In my opinion, there are good teams in the tournament — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, even the UAE and Hong Kong. Everyone is playing good cricket,”
“Because of the situation that happened in Afghanistan, the earthquake, in which many people lost their lives…if we remember it again, it’s a little bit painful. Because it’s very difficult, there are not so many facilities in the country. But still, it will be a very happy occasion for us, for our people, if we won this tournament. We can give them some happiness,”
“India have been phenomenal in the last 12 months. You look at their players, Abhishek for me is just phenomenal. There is a new breed of batsmen coming through like Abhishek Sharma, Dewald Brevis and Tim David. They strike at over 180, 200. Tim and Brevis were looked at as finishers, but that is changing now and they are batting higher because teams are seeing their potential. They are all destructive batsmen. So the other teams need to identify similar players or else they are going to be left behind further.”
“As a cricketer you have to see where the game’s going. And you’ve got to evolve with the game. Else, you get left behind and that’s what is happening with them in franchise cricket. If you want to evolve your game, then you put yourself in a position where you get selected for these tournaments. I think that Afghanistan seems to use these opportunities a lot,”
“They rely heavily on rhythm, timing of their movements. So what I did with them was just basically looked at how they can access more power. The Sri Lankans, I think, are in a better position than the Bangladeshis. I think mindset comes into it a lot. If you look at it, you need everybody to be in the same mindset. The message has to be consistent throughout. If that’s not, then you get fearful cricket. Players playing fearful cricket is the last thing you need. It’s about having an aggressive intent. You won’t hit every ball. But you have to put something back on the bowlers. You can’t let them dictate.”
"We are very optimistic (against Sri Lanka). We have played two games here and if we win on Thursday, we go on top of the group. There's plenty to play for. There is disappointment but we have to dust ourselves off. There are ups and downs. You have to make sure you have to ride those waves. We have to bounce back on Thursday. If we can win well, it gives us a lot of confidence. There's plenty to play for. We should have played better, but we have to pull our socks up for Thursday"
Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
Hello and welcome to our clash between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. While the off-field drama was plenty yesterday, today it is going to be a sure on-field drama with all Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh can make it and cannot as well. While Sri Lanka is more assured if it is Afghanistan that will go into the next stage of Bangladesh, we have to see. Do stay with us for all the live updates.
In the Asia Cup 2025, India and Pakistan have successfully qualified for the Super 4 round from Group A. India secured their spot after winning their first two matches, and Pakistan joined them by defeating the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, the battle for the two Super 4 slots from Group B is still ongoing, with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan all in contention. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are currently tied with four points each, while Afghanistan has two points with a game in hand. The final group match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will be a crucial decider, as its result could either solidify the qualification of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh or create a three-way tie in points, where Net Run Rate will determine the two teams that advance to the next round. (Read more)
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