Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
The Comedy Channel has called. They would like to air Sri Lanka matches.
Before India step out onto the field and Pakistan break a sweat, Sri Lanka are out of the tournament.
Please, I ask that all readers watch over Russel Arnold, Daniel and Nabraiz today and make sure they are OK (that’s if you’re not blocked, of course). It’ll be nice of them to greet the team at the airport with some old Sri Lanka stats to make themselves feel better.
 |
| Unlucky Russel… |
On a more serious note, is anyone surprised Sri Lanka are out? I’m not. I will gloat and say I predicted this. They need a full overhaul of players and processes when it comes to the ODI format, as they continue to disappoint. This Asia Cup exit is another embarrassing episode in a horror show since the start of 2017, especially.
But, absolutely no credit should be taken away from Afghanistan. They did just about everything right in their first game of the tournament, and are now rewarded with a spot in the Super Four stage, which is all part of their amazing 2018! This is a great time for the nation, which should be celebrated.
In this piece, the first of its kind in Asia Cup 2018, each player will be put under the CricBlog microscope. Who deserves the best and most harsh marks out of ten?
Afghanistan
Mohammad Shahzad: Gives me a good laugh with some of his strokeplay. If I were a commentator, I’d chuckle on air. He sure has his own style, and he helped Afghanistan get a solid start. 6
Ihsanullah: Some lovely shots in his stay, but got out just when Afghanistan needed to really consolidate. Nonetheless, an innings Afghanistan would be happy with. 7
Rahmat Shah: Had him in your
Dream11? Good move. Solid player for Afghanistan, and played a really good innings. His score of 72 was double that of Sri Lanka’s highest scorer. As I said, make sure Russel, Daniel and Nabraiz are OK.
8.5
Asghar Afghan: The most eventful part of Asghar’s day was panicking when Mohammad Shahzad was hitting the ball in the air towards third man. Just the one run, but led his team well in the field. 1
Hashmatullah Shahidi: Decent start in the middle order, but would have liked to go on with Afghanistan on track for 270. 6
Mohammad Nabi: Absolutely superb with the ball. Hassled Sri Lanka like a child to his/her parents with McDonald’s in sight (yes, I don’t mind a little McDonald’s). 8
Najibullah Zadran: Out looking to hit out towards the end. 4
Gulbadin Naib: Another decent performance from Naib, this time with the ball. Contributed to Sri Lanka’s downfall. 7
Rashid Khan: RASHIIIIIIID. Another excellent bowling performance in the UAE. That’s 31 wickets in 13 ODIs in that part of the world for Rashid Khan. He must have been loving life when he saw Sri Lanka struggling to deal with Bangladesh’s finger spinners on Saturday. Kusal Perera helped out with a shocking swipe. 8
Aftab Alam: Steady. No wickets, but under five an over is always a good return in ODI cricket, even if it’s against Sri Lanka. 5
Mujeeb Ur Rahman: A weapon in limited overs. Simply too good for Sri Lanka. They say Afghanistan play lots of matches against the likes of Ireland and Zimbabwe. They will be hoping for more against Sri Lanka, too. Stand out ball was the one to Shanaka. 8
Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis: More ducks present here than a river. As many half centuries in his last 21 innings as
Chris Martin in his entire career. Missed a run out chance when Afghanistan were none down.
0
Upul Tharanga: Thought it was a Test match. Wasn’t too keen on running hard either, leading to the downfall of Dhananjaya de Silva. Not pretty from an experienced player. 3
Dhananjaya de Silva: Should expect his next meal to be taken of by Upul Tharanga. Things were looking promising. The six over extra cover was particularly special. Couldn’t go on. 5
Kusal Perera: Gave Rashid Khan a wicket in his first over. A poor shot again from a Sri Lanka batsman. In other news, the sky is blue and grass is green. 2
Angelo Mathews: Captain of a sinking ship. Tried what he could to lead it to shore, but to no avail. 4
Shehan Jayasuriya: More comical running from Sri Lanka. Less than 100 days till Christmas, and Sri Lanka are getting into the gifting mood. Bowled pretty well, did Jayasuriya. Perhaps should have bowled more than his six overs. 5
Thisara Perera: Expensive early on but cleaned up Afghanistan just as they were looking to launch at the end. Left with too much to do with the bat. 7.5
Dasun Shanaka: Was victim of a beauty from Mujeeb Ur Rahman. He had as much a clue about that one as my mates do about cricket (sadly)! 0
Akila Dananjaya: Strong ten overs with the ball. A good addition to their attack, but just not enough support. 7.5
Lasith Malinga: Couldn’t reach the heights of Saturday, which was always going to be a challenge in the heat of the UAE. 4
Dushmantha Chameera: Displayed pretty good pace, and finished with economical figures. He would be very dangerous if he could employ yorkers a little more. 7
—–
So, there we have it.
Sri Lanka are out, and Bangladesh and Afghanistan are through to the Super Four stage. The Lankans’ cricket throughout this tournament certainly belonged on the Comedy Channel, and maybe they can review their performances on the plane home.
Well done Afghanistan!
