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'Didn't Do Enough With The Bat'- Kusal Mendis Speaks Up After Loss Against Afghanistan

image-lod5me7vAfghanistan beat Sri Lanka in Match 30. [PC: X]

Afghanistan Cricket continues to rise as they registered their third win of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup in India. After the famous win over Pakistan in Chennai, the Afghan Atalans went on to defeat Sri Lanka in the recently concluded Match 30 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

It was a chasing masterclass against Pakistan at the Chepauk the other day, and they followed it up with another clinical performance, batting second against the Lankans in Pune. Fazalhaq Farooqi was the star with the ball as Afghanistan restricted Sri Lanka to a below-par 241 on a good Pune surface.

While chasing, Afghanistan did lose in-form Rahmanullah Gurbaz early in the powerplay. But fellow opener Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah made sure the team finished the first ten overs without any further damage. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai chipped in with half-centuries at the end to take Afghanistan home with barely any trouble.

Sri Lankan bowlers were good in patches, especially during the first twenty overs, but 241 on the board was never enough on this surface. Afghanistan has now won two back-to-back matches for the first time in their World Cup cricket history. Shahidi and his men have won three of the six matches they played and kept themselves alive in the Semi-Final race.

Captain Mendis Not Happy With Sri Lanka's Batting Performance

Sri Lanka, who were coming into this game on the back of a massive win over the defending champions England, failed to continue the momentum and now finds themselves in a very tough position to qualify for the knockouts.

Speaking in the post-match presentation, Sri Lankan captain Kusal Mendis reflected on the reasons behind the result going against them in Pune.

"We didn't do enough with the bat. 300 or maybe 280 would have been sufficient, but not to be. The bowlers did well in the first 10 overs but the dew came in later and it became a little hard to bowl the spinners. The ball came onto the bat nicely in the second innings," Mendis said.

Yes, there have been several problems for Sri Lanka in this tournament, but if there is one positive we want to shed light on, it has to be the rise of left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka. On being asked about Madhushanka's performance, captain Mendis was full of praise for the 23-year-old.

"He (Madhushanka) has done really well. He was good for us in the first couple of games as well and is bowling nicely. Really happy for him," Mendis added.

Sri Lanka are now placed sixth in the points table with two wins out of the six games they have played. They have three more games in their hands, with the very next game against the table toppers India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, November 3rd.