Afghanistan A outclass India A in rain-hit tri-series clash in Dambulla, win via DLS

Afghanistan A stunned India A in the second match of the tri-nation series, with a four-run victory via DLS method on Thursday, June 11 at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla. After being put in to bat first, India A posted a massive score of 349/9 in the rain-curtailed 49-over fixture. Another rain delay ahead of the second innings meant that Afghanistan A were set a DLS revised target of 294 from 38 overs.

However, they put up a strong fight in the second innings, reaching 177/2 in 25.5 overs, riding on splendid knocks from captain Imran Mir (75* off 70) and Bahir Shah (51* off 52). With the match heading towards a tight finish, rain came pouring down to interrupt the fixture once again and didn’t relent in time. As a result, Afghanistan were awarded the game, being four runs ahead of the DLS par score at the point of rain interruption.

Earlier in the day, India got off to a blazing start to the innings with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (44 off 22) playing a breathtaking innings alongside Prabhsimran Singh (84 off 69). The duo added 74 runs for the first wicket off 43 balls, before Abdullah Ahmadzai got rid of the dangerous Sooryanshi.

On the other hand, Prabhsimran missed out on his century, falling prey to Imran Mir (1/21, 4 overs) for 84 (69). After slamming a match-winning hundred in the first game, Ruturaj Gaikwad (66 off 80) continued his rich form, scoring another half-century, while Tilak Varma (66 off 73) also scored his second successive fifty.

Afghanistan rise to top after beating India

Lower down the order, Suryansh Shedge (40 off 27), Anukul Roy (16* off 8) and Vipraj Nigam (8 off 3) also made valuable contributions to propel India’s score to 349. Abdullah Ahmadzai emerged as the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan A with a five-wicket haul (5/68), while Farmanullah Safi (3/85) also chipped in with three wickets.

In the second innings, captain Imran Mir got Afghanistan A’s chase off to a terrific start, adding 63 runs for the first wicket off 48 balls with Hassan Eisakhil (34 off 29). He further got involved in an unbeaten century stand (108* off 99) for the third wicket with Bahir Shah (51* off 52), which eventually sealed the victory for their team.

Meanwhile, following their victory, Afghanistan A replaced India A at the top of the points table with two points from one game, while India slipped to second spot with two points to their name from as many games.