Sports

Asia Cup 2022: Rashid Khan, Danushka Gunathilaka Gets into a Heated Exchange, Rajapaksa Intervenes – WATCH

September 4, 2022
Bharat Times

Sri Lanka put an end to Afghanistan’s winning spree in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 by winning their first Super 4 game on Saturday in Sharjah. In what turned out to be an engrossing encounter, Dasun Shanaka & Co defeated the Mohammad Nabi-led side by 4 wickets while chasing a stiff target of 176. Wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis top-scored with a 19-ball 36 while Wanindu Hasaranga gave the finishing touch with an impressive cameo. He got 16 runs off 9 deliveries to help his team register its second win on the trot.

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The Sri Lankans made a stern comeback in the tournament after a troubled start to their campaign. They knocked out Bangladesh in a nail-biting affair and then carried on the momentum against Afghanistan in Super 4, seeking revenge for the humiliation they faced in the previous face-off. However, the limelight was also hogged by an incident in which Lanka batter Danushka Gunathilaka got engaged in a heated conversation with star Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan.

The first ball of the 17th over saw Gunathilaka reverse sweeping Rashid’s delivery past short third man for a boundary. Moments later, the two players were seen exchanging some heated words in the middle of the pitch while Bhanuka Rajapaksa had to intervene and separate them.

The leg-spinner seemed furious after getting smashed for a boundary off the first ball of the over. A couple of balls later, Rashid gave it back by knocking the Sri Lankan batter over with a length ball. Gunathilaka tried to slog-sweep, but the ball turned in, sneaking under him and rammed into the wickets.

With 49 needed off the last five overs, Rajapaksa went 4, 4, 6 against Naveen ul Haq and brought the equation down. Wanindu Hasaranga struck three boundaries eventually to help chase the target in 19.1 overs with four wickets in hand.

Earlier, an excellent attacking knock by Rahmanullah Gurbaz (84 off 45) powered Afghanistan to a challenging 175/6 in 20 overs. Apart from Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran also played an impactful knock (40 off 38) for Afghanistan, who would have hoped for a blistering finish, but they lost wickets in a cluster in the last few overs.

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