Kusal Mendis’ Sri Lanka got an unwanted record to their name in World Cup history after a seven-wicket defeat to Afghanistan in Pune on October 30. The 1996 World Cup champions have now registered the most defeats in the tournament’s history. This was their 43rd loss in World Cups. The previous record belonged to Zimbabwe who have faced defeat 42 times in World Cups.
Zimbabwe are followed by England (37 losses), Pakistan (36 losses), New Zealand (35 losses), and West Indies (35 losses).
This was Afghanistan's third win in the ongoing World Cup 2023 and fourth overall. This is the first time Afghanistan have registered two consecutive wins in ODI World Cups.
While Sri Lanka are almost out of the World Cup 2023 semi-final race, Afghanistan have a good chance of making it to the top four at the end of the league stage.
Sri Lankan captain Mendis was highly criticial of his team’s performance as they were outclassed in all departments of the game.
“We didn't do enough with the bat. 300 or maybe 280 would have been sufficient, but not to be. Bowlers have done well in the first 10 overs and the dew has come in little bit and then it became a little hard to bowl the spinners,” he said.
“Actually there was dew today and the ball came on to the bat nicely in the second innings. He (Dilshan Madushanka) has done really well, in the first couple of games as well and hope he will continue his form going forward.”
On the other hand, Hashmatullah Shahidi was all praises for his team that pulled off a perfect game.
“Quite happy and proud of the team. Happy for the way we performed in all 3 departments. Last game gave us lot of confidence and belief that we can chase any kind of target. It was a very professional performance from the bowlers today,” Shahidi said.
“Rashid Khan is a special player and the best player in the world. He (Rashid Khan) is a very energetic guy and always keeps the team very lively. I want to congratulate all the Afghanistan supporters and especially want to thank the Indian fans for coming out and supporting us,” the southpaw lauded his veteran spinner.
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