Afghanistan A won the Emerging Asia Cup title on October 27 in Al Amerat, bowling out Sri Lanka A in a low-scoring final. It was their second straight win after a thrilling semifinal win over India A, which had been dominated all along by Afghanistan’s bowling. Bilal Sami and Allah Ghanzanifar repeated their heroics with the ball in the final.
ICYMI: #AfghanAbdalyan went past Sri Lanka A in the Grand Finale to Clinch their Maiden ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 🏆
🔗: https://t.co/JUFkFcLamW#AFGAvSLA | #MensT20EmergingTeamsAsiaCup | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/Z74u9lbBGn---Advertisement---— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 27, 2024
Afghanistan A Win The Emerging Asia Cup Title
Afghanistan A’s bowling attack soon dominated the game to make it difficult for Sri Lanka A to have any sort of steady partnerships. The Sri Lanka A batting lineup could not capitalize on any momentum, while Saham Archchige‘s unbeaten 64 off 47 balls did provide some relief for his team to reach a lowly total of 133. Sami’s strong bowling figures of 3/22 and Ghanzanifar’s economical spell of 2/14 worked well in restricting Sri Lanka’s scoring, which enabled Afghanistan to chase down an easily achievable target. The pitch at Al Amerat proved to be one tough nut to crack for the two teams. Afghanistan A started their innings with a jolt when the opening batsman Zubaid Akbari was sent back with a golden duck off the very first ball. Still, Sediqullah Atal anchored it nicely with his composed batting of 55 runs from 55 balls to get out of the jolt with which the innings began.
#AfghanAbdalyan lift the @ACCMedia1 Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 Trophy. 😍🏆pic.twitter.com/12NVHxQJ5L
---Advertisement---— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 27, 2024
Sami and Ghanzanifar: The Standout Performers
Despite losing only one wicket for the Afghanistan A side, bowlers of Sri Lanka A could not put in constant pressure as it had resulted in only three wickets falling in Afghanistan A’s full innings. The last overs were then seen with Mohd Ishfaq who lead his team through the matches to a great-fought victory and back with the trophy.
This success is a testament to the huge talent flowing into the Afghanistan A side. Their bowling shows like Sami and Ghanzanifar during key moments; however, their team’s well-balanced strategy spoke about their progress on the international platform. Their victory in the Emerging Asia Cup stands testimony to Afghanistan’s increasing competitiveness through cricket, promising hopefuls looking to create a disruption at the senior level in the not-too-distant future.
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