Good evening, cricket fans! Welcome to the start of our live blog for the Asia Cup Rising Stars match between Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A. Stay tuned for pre-match updates, toss reports, and playing XIs as they happen!
Good evening, cricket fans! Welcome to the start of our live blog for the Asia Cup Rising Stars match between Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A. Stay tuned for pre-match updates, toss reports, and playing XIs as they happen!
Fixture: Sri Lanka A vs Afghanistan A, Match 4
Venue: West End Park International Cricket Stadium, Doha
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025
Time: 5:00 PM IST (2:30 PM local time)
Live Streaming: SonyLIV
Live Telecast: Sony Sports TEN 1, Sony Sports TEN HD1
Sri Lanka A: Nishan Madushka (wk), Nuwanidu Fernando, Lasith Croospulle, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Sahan Arachchige, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake, Ramesh Mendis, Dunith Wellalage (c), Pramod Madushan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Vishen Halambage, Garuka Sanketh, Sohan de Livera, Isitha Wijesundera, Traveen Mathew.
Afghanistan A: Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Darwish Rasooli (c), Imran Mir, Rahmanullah, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Nangeyalia Kharote, Zubaid Akbari, Farmanullah Safi, Qais Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Noor ul Rahman.
Sri Lanka A captain Dunith Wellalage has won the toss and opted to bat first against Afghanistan A.
Sri Lanka A: Nishan Madushka (wk), Nuwanidu Fernando, Lasith Croospulle, Sahan Arachchige, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake, Vishen Halambage, Ramesh Mendis, Dunith Wellalage (c), Isitha Wijesundera, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Garuka Sanketh.
Afghanistan A: Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli (c), Imran Mir, Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Farmanullah Safi, Zubaid Akbari, Nangeyalia Kharote, Qais Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Abdullah Ahmadzai.
Nishan Madushka and Vishen Halambage are opening the innings for Sri Lanka A, and both of them get off the mark against AM Ghazanfar. Halambage then sets the tone for the innings with a big six over long on.
Ghazanfar has the last laugh!! The spinner was hit for a boundary and a six by Halambage, but this time, the spinner mixes it up a bit. Hembalage's defense is breached and he is bowled. Sri Lanka A lose their first wicket. The new batter, Lasith Croospulle, gets off the mark.
Croospulle's stay at the crease is a short one as he departs for just one, hitting it straight back to the bowler Bilal Sami. It turns into a fantastic over for the young pacer, who gets Madushka with a plumb LBW. And it gets EVEN better, as Bilal gets the wicket of Arachchige, who is caught behind by Ishaq!!
Wellalage, the new batter, prevents the hat-trick. He and Fernando are at the crease.
After the quickfire start that they got, SL-A's innings has stagnated a bit since THAT over from Bilal. Fernando and Wellalage are both batting at a healthy strike rate, but the focus is, rightly, on building a stable partnership, which currently stands at 45 runs off 37 balls.
Sri Lanka A cross the 100-run mark in the 13th over. If Wellalage and Fernando bat deep, the Lankan side are looking at a 170-plus total, which will be a decent ask from the Afghanistan A side. Rasooli will be hoping to break this partnership soon.
Ghazanfar breaks the partnership! Wellalage, who was solid up until now, holes it to Bilal – Afghanistan A's hero tonight – and down goes the sixth wicket. Milan Rathnayake, the new batter, gets off the mark.
Ghazanfar at it again, this time sending the dangerous Fernando back to pavilion. The SL-A batter holed it to Zubaid and goes for 39. Ramesh Mendis is the new batter.
After a sensational show of power hitting from Rathnayake off Bilal – 4-4-6-4-4 – he goes down to Ahmadzai in the very next over. It was a plumb LBW, and the finger goes up. Isitha Wijesundera comes on as the new batter with two overs to go.
Bilal Sami adds another wicket to his tally, getting the wicket of Wijesundera. Mendis gets a vital six in the final over, but overall, it's a successful spell from Ahmadzai. Viyaskanth gets run out in the final delivery, and Sri Lanka A end at 170/9.
Imran Mir and Zubaid Akbari begin the 171-run chase for Afghanistan A. Rathnayake has the new ball, and he has an instant impact as Zubaid holes it to Weallalage. AFG-A lose their first wicket in the very first over.
Despite the early setback, Afghanistan A have had a decent start, with Imran Mir doing all the power hitting for now. A big six over the backward square leg off Sanketh, and the Abdalyans keep their run rate over 10-an-over.
Sediqullah Atal was, by far, the best player in last year's tournament, and we are getting a glimpse of that. The Afghan batter hits three sixes off Wellalage, and AFG-A need just 100 runs more to win.
Afghanistan A were running away with the chase, and Sri Lanka A get a much-needed breakthrough as Viyaskanth gets the wicket of Imran. Darwish Rasooli is the new batter. Afghanistan A need 80 runs to win from 72 balls.
A 22-ball half-century for Sediqullah Atal, and it's nothing short of what the Afghanistan A batter has deserved. Five sixes tonight, and he has handed this chase on a platter for his side.
That's the wicket that Sri Lanka A wanted!! Sediq, who was looking unplayable tonight, holes it to Fernando, and he has to depart for 54 off 27. It was a sensational knock from the southpaw, but AFG-A now have to build up a partnership with two new batters – Rasooli and Safi – on the crease.
Is there a twist in the tale left? Afghanistan A were looking like they will chase down the target easily, but the wickets have continued tumbling. Safi is the latest one to go, with Arachchige catching him on the pads for an LBW. Mohammad Ishaq, the new batter, gets off the mark.
And the wickets keep falling for Afghanistan A. Ishaq goes for just four runs as Viyaskanth rattles his stumps. Half of the Abdalyans are back in the pavilion. Nangeyalia Kharote is the new batter.
With the Afghanistan A stagnating a bit, Rasooli took charge, hitting a boundary and then back-to-back sixes off Wijesundera. However, the bowler eventually gets his revenge, with Rasooli not generating enough power and finding Arachchige. Qais Ahmed comes on as the new batter.
Despite the middle-order stutter, Qais and Kharote pair well to take Afghanistan A over the line, chasing down the target of 171. Kharote's late wicket made it dicey, with Sri Lanka A stretching the match to the last ball, but Ahmadzai got the winning run with one ball to spare.
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