Right then, that is it from this absolute cliffhanger of a game where the Lankans somehow got the win and made it to the next stage while Afghanistan is out of the Asia Cup 2023 now. It is time for the Super-4 now where in the first match Pakistan will take on Bangladesh on 5th September, Wednesday at 3 pm IST (9.30 am GMT), but as you know you can join us early for all the build-up. Until then, cheers and goodbye!

Kusal Mendis is the Player of the Match. He says that he is a bit disappointed that he couldn't reach his hundred. He says that it was a great moment and their bowlers did very well as the pitch was very difficult to bowl on. He adds that Dunith Wellalage and Matheesha Pathirana bowled really well. Ends by saying they are happy to qualify.

Dasun Shanaka, the victorious captain of Sri Lanka says that it was a tough one and it was really hard to defend this total with four fielders outside the inner ring. He says that his and Dhananjaya de Silva's wickets were important but credits Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage for taking them to 391. Mentions that the early wickets helped them but Mohammad Nabi took the game away from them. However, in the end, they got over the line and that is the most important thing for them.

Hashmatullah Shahidi the skipper of Afghanistan says that he is very disappointed about it. He says that he is proud of his team and they gave their best. He says that they are playing good cricket in the ODI format now and they played up to the mark in this game as well. He says that they had a lot of positives to carry forward from today and ends by saying they feel sorry that they couldn't qualify.

Presentation Time...

Earlier in the game, after electing to bat first, Sri Lanka despite losing their way a bit in the middle posted a good total on the board courtesy of a fine 92 from Kusal Mendis and good contributions from a few other batters as well. Gulbadin Naib was the best bowler for Afghanistan with a four-wicket haul while Rashid Khan picked up a couple of wickets and Mujeeb Ur Rahman chipped in with one as well. They gave their all while chasing it but faced a heartbreaking defeat in the end.

Credit goes to the Lankans, as they kept their nerve till the very end. Kasun Rajitha picked up a four-fer, but his over, which went for 12 runs at the very end, was a nail-biter. Dunith Wellalage picked up two crucial wickets when the Lankans really needed them. Matheesha Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana picked up one wicket each and were the most economical of all, and in the end, Dhananjaya de Silva stepped up at the very end and picked up two tailenders when his team needed him the most and they snatched the win in the end.

Afghanistan were so close, yet so far! They were off to a shaky start and lost some quick wickets at the start. Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah steadied things with a good partnership but the game started to change when Mohammad Nabi joined the skipper at the crease. He smashed the fastest fifty by an Afghan player in ODIs and shifted the momentum towards them. However, he departed on 65 but Shahidi continued to make the runs. Karim Janat and Najibullah Zadran played important cameos to take them close and it was in their hands till the very last moment. They needed 16 runs of 7 balls and Rashid Khan hit three boundaries to get them nearer to qualification but in the end, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi miscalculated a bit as they still had a chance to qualify after the 37.1 over mark, but ultimately they lost by 2 runs and bow out of the Asia Cup.

SRI LANKA HAVE DONE IT! It was an absolute cracker of a game, and it is the defending champions who have made it to the top four. Disappointment for the Afghans as they fought till the very end but just failed to get over the line. They were certainly unaware of the fact that they still had a chance of qualifying if they would have hit a six at the last ball.

Fazalhaq Farooqi is the last man in

Mujeeb Ur Rahman comes out to the middle now.