Sport
Afghanistan A to face Sri Lanka A in maiden T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup final
Friday’s thrilling victory over India A has set the stage for what will no doubt be an exciting showdown on Sunday
Afghanistan A will face Sri Lanka A on Sunday evening, October 27, in the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 final at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman.
This comes after Afghanistan A defeated India A by 20 runs in the second semi-final of the championships on Friday.
On Sunday morning, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) wished the team well and said in a post on X: “#AfghanAbdalyan are set to play their first-ever ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup Grand Finale as they take on Sri Lanka A in an epic showdown tonight.
“Go well and bring it home, Abdalyano!,” the board said.
Friday’s thrilling victory over India A has set the stage for what will no doubt be an exciting showdown on Sunday.
Powered by an impressive 83 off 52 balls from Sediqullah Atal, Afghanistan A posted a formidable total of 206/4 against India A.
Zubaid Akbari (64 off 41) and Karim Janat (41 off 20) added further firepower, setting a challenging target for India A.
India A’s chase began with promise but stumbled as Afghanistan’s bowlers held their nerve.
Ramandeep Singh top-scored with a rapid 64 off 34 balls, keeping India in the hunt until the final overs.
Ayush Badoni (31 off 24) and Nishant Sindhu (23 off 13) provided valuable contributions, but Afghanistan A’s disciplined bowling, especially from AM Ghazanfar (2/14) and Abdul Rahman (2/32), restricted India A to 186/7 in 20 overs.
Afghanistan A has meanwhile had a number of standout players, including Sediqullah Atal who has posted a whopping 313 runs in this tournament.
Standing at number 1 for the most runs, fellow player Zubairullah Akbari is at number 3 with his total of 137 runs. Second on the board is Babar Hayat from Hong Kong with 162 runs.
Sunday’s match will get underway at 6pm local time.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed on Friday that it will host West Indies for a three-match T20I series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from January 19 to 22.
The series will begin on January 19, with the second and third T20Is scheduled for January 21 and 22. It is expected to provide both teams with valuable match practice and will play a key role in their preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled less than a month after the series.
ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said: “Competing against West Indies on the brink of a global event presents an excellent opportunity for our team to finalize their lineup and enhance preparations for the upcoming tournament in India and Sri Lanka. We have been closely monitoring the team’s preparation process, and facing a quality West Indies side offers an ideal platform for their buildup.”
CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe added: “This series provides an ideal platform for our preparations. Facing strong opposition in subcontinental conditions will help us sharpen our combinations and approach, while also giving our players a chance to build confidence on surfaces similar to those we’ll encounter in India and Sri Lanka.”
Series Schedule:
Afghanistan’s national cricket team continued their dominant form in the Hong Kong Sixes tournament on Friday, recording back-to-back victories over Nepal and South Africa.
Against South Africa, Afghanistan posted 148 runs in six overs. Captain Gulbadin Naib starred with 50 runs off just 12 balls, while Karim Janat added 46 from 11 deliveries. South Africa could muster only 99 runs in response, giving Afghanistan a commanding 49-run win.
Earlier on Friday, Afghanistan had defeated Nepal by 17 runs, marking a perfect start to the tournament.
The Hong Kong Sixes features twelve teams, each with six players, competing in a fast-paced, six-over format.
The Afghanistan national futsal team played to a 2–2 draw with Iran in their second match of the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh on Thursday.
Sayed Mujtaba Hosseini and Mahdi Nowruzi were on target for Afghanistan.
Having defeated Tajikistan in their opening game of the tournament, Afghanistan will face Morocco in their final group-stage match next Saturday.
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